
4 

I 

3, 



I A TREASURY OF I 

I INDIAN TALES | 

I BY II 

II CLARA KERN BAYLISS | 

11 Author of "Old Man Coyote," etc. li 



ILLUSTRATED 



NEW YORK 
THOMAS Y. CROWELL COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 



Copyright, 1921, 
By THOMAS Y. CROWELL COMPANY 



SEP 

0)CU62279i 



si 

\ 

CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

I How THE Animal-Men Became Real 

Men (Zuni) i 

II The Sun-Bright Heroes 13 

Kulooskap {Eastern Algonkin) . • . 16 

Manabozho {Chippewa) 19 

Napi, the Old Man {Blackfoot) ... 22 

The Santa Clara Sun-Boy {Tewa) . . 25 

Olelbis {Wintu) 29 

III The Heavenly Stair of the Hus 

Brothers {Wintu) 33 

IV WisAKAHA Slays the Cloud Manitous 

{Sauk) 40 

V Pau-Puk-Keewis {Chippewa) .... 47 

VI Watogo, Who Saved His Tribe from the 

Thunderbird {Miami) 68 

VII The Thunderbird of Puget Sound 

{Kwakiutl) 75 

VIII Panigwun, Who Outmatched the Magi- 
cian {Chippewa) 79 

IX Shawano, Who Killed the Uktena 

{Cherokee) 89 

iii 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

X Weasel Girl, the War Maiden {Black- 
foot) 96 

XI Makatah, the War Maiden (Sioux) . • loi 

XII COYOTTE THE TrICKSTER, TrIES TO BeCOME 

A Creator {Wintu, Chinook) . . . 106 



iv 



PREFACE 



Every school child knows the legends of the 
Old World, but few of them know those of the 
New World. Yet the myths and legends of the 
American Indian are unsurpassed in realism and 
quaintness of imagery by anything in Norse or 
Greek mythology. What could be more realistic 
than the ^^shriek of pain" given by the cloud foes 
when the Sun pierces them with his arrows, or 
than the wild cry of the boys on their way to 
the Sun, ^Xeap! Leap! for the sky is on its way 
down?" 

In other legends there is a daintiness of con- 
cept which is charmingly poetic. Through 
some of the greater myths run the sublime notes 
of profoundly religious natures seeking expres- 
sion. And there is a whole chapter on the evolu- 
tion of Mind, in the way primitive men added 
four corners to the round plain of earth to keep 
the dome of the sky from slipping down and 
crushing them. 

In the vast mass of native mythology there is 



PREFACE 

much which is worthy of more attention from 
both children and adults than it has yet received. 
Some of the choicest and most representative 
specimens are retold here in simple language 
for the children. Two or three of these legends 
were derived directly from the Red Men; the 
rest from Ethnological Reports, and other au- 
thoritative sources. All reflect the early beliefs 
of this ^Vanishing race." 

C. K. B. 



VI 



I 



HOW THE ANIMAL-MEN BECAME 
REAL MEN 

In the beginning, so the Zunis say, there was 
nothing anywhere except a Great Father. Just 
by willing it, this Father created mists out of 
his own person, and the mists shaped themselves 
into Earth and Sky. Then the Father took the 
shape of the Sun. 

Down in this Earth there were great hollow 
spaces, four caves in a tier, one above another; 
and all the light each one had came through a 
round hole in the floor of the cave above. 

As you would imagine, the lowest cave was 
very dark, and damp, and sultry. But it is in 
warm, moist places that eggs hatch into tad- 
poles, reptiles, and birds; and so, in this dark 
cavern, the seeds of men and animals were 
hatched. They grew and multiplied fast, and 
soon all sorts of unfinished creatures were 
crawling about over and under each other in 

1 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

the darkness. It was not long before the cave 
was more than full and it was terrible down 
there. 

Yet some of the creatures were so dumb and 
sluggish that they didn't know it was terrible. 
They were content just to be alive and warm. 
But some were not satisfied, and were all the 
time blaming others for bumping into them, 
and were always ready for a fight. 

But those who were the most like men kept 
looking up at the dim spot of light in the ceil- 
ing of the cave, and longing to get up through 
the opening to see what was above. Two of the 
best of them kept looking up more and more, 
and trying to stretch up to the light. And 
somehow, the Sun-Father away up in the sky 
learned of it and appointed them to guide the 
people up from the darkness. And the two 
were called the ^^Beloved Twain," the Twin 
Brothers of Light. 

Now you would never guess how these Twin 
Brothers got the people out of this lowest cave, 
so I shall have to tell you. First, they told the 
people that somewhere up above there must be 
a brighter land, because what little light they 

got down there came from it. That made the 

2 



HOW THE ANIMAL-MEN BECAME REAL MEN 

men-creatures want to get up through the roof- 
hole more than ever. 

Then, down on the floor of the cave, directly 
beneath the light-hole, the Brothers planted a 
grass seed which had fallen down to them 
through all the holes of the upper caves. As 
soon as the grass sprang up, the two kept walk- 
ing around it, breathing on it, taking hold of it 
and stretching it up, till the first any one knew, 
it had grown clear up to the opening, and was 
a big, strong stalk of corn with joints wherever 
they had grasped it, and with leaves wherever 
their thumbs had touched it. 

^^Now, here is your ladder," said the Beloved 
Twins. "x4l11 you who can do so, cling tight to 
the stalk with your fore feet and set your hind 
feet on the leaves on this side and on that, and 
so win your way out of this." 

In that way many of them climbed into a 
higher cave, but the more lazy and beast-like 
fell back and were left behind. 

The cave into which they had crawled was 
larger, and was only so dark as night in a stormy 
season. The creatures and the man-like ones 
could move about without hitting against each 
other. 

''Here you must improve in body and in ac- 

3 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

tions," said the Twin Brothers. ^^Do not look 
ever downward at the floor. Raise your eyes 
often to the opening through which the light 
comes." And the beings obeyed, growing less 
ugly of form and of conduct. 

But again they increased in numbers till they 
were crowded and unhappy. The Brothers 
knew what ailed them, so again they caused the 
corn stalk to stretch upward; and again the 
beings climbed up on it. But, as had happened 
before, the more worthless ones fell back and 
were left behind. 

^^This time, you are not to go all together," 
said the Twain. ^^You shall go in six different 
groups, and become the fathers of six different 
tribes of people." 

Then, according as they looked and acted 
better or worse, the beings w^ere separated into 
six parties and led up to the cave above at dif- 
ferent times. 

They had now come from the fourth or 
deepest cave, through the third one, and were 
in the second from the top. It was the largest 
and best of the three, and lay like a valley in 
starlight. The Tw^in Brothers who had been 
guiding them were thinking a great deal about 
how to help them grow man-like more rapidly. 

4 



HOW THE ANIMAL-MEN BECAME REAL MEN 

do not know how we learned it," said 
they, ^^but somehow we do know that up above 
there is a land which is brighter than this one. 
We know that somewhere, high above, there is 
a Sun-Father whom we ought to worship. If 
we can get up into that brightest world, we shall 
be able to see him, and to live all the time in 
his wonderful light." 

Thus the Beloved Twain, the Twin Brothers 
of Light, talked to the creatures and men-crea- 
tures, trying to prepare them for the future and 
teach them the ways of life. The men were 
still web-footed, goggle-eyed, and scaly of body, 
yet more and more they yearned to get out of 
the caves into the light. 

When, at last, the Brothers led them out of 
the upper cave into the land of daylight, they 
took care to do it in the night-time so that their 
eyes would not be blinded by the sudden change. 
But as they came up, one after another, they 
saw the Morning Star and were dazzled by its 
brightness, and cried out in joy for they thought 
it was the Sun-Father of whom they had been 
told. 

^^No, that is not the Father," said the Twain, 
^^that is his little brother who always walks 
ahead of him." 

5 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

When the Sun finally arose, the people fell 
down blinded, hiding their eyes on their bare 
arms. Yet they were delighted with the bright- 
ness and were as curious about it as little chil- 
dren. So they kept lifting their heads to peek 
at it, till at last they could endure its light. 

^^Now all of you who are to be men must 
stand on your hind feet only," said the Brothers. 

Then there was the funniest time you ever 
did hear of, for the men-creatures tried to stand 
erect and went stumbling and tumbling around. 
They had to hold on to each other and on to the 
bushes to keep from falling, just as little chil- 
dren have to hold on to chairs. Yet still they 
slipped and fell, sometimes several tumbling in 
a heap. Some of the better animals, too, tried 
to walk as the men-creatures were doing, and 
they made still worse work of it. Altogether, 
it was such a ludicrous sight that something 
stranger yet occurred. Some one laughed. It 
was a queer animal-kind of sound, ^^Ki yi yi," 
but it was the first laugh ever heard in the 
world. 

Walking was a new thing to them and it 
amused them as a new game amuses children. 
It was hard work, and made their legs and backs 
ache terribly, but they were all eager to do it; 

6 



HOW THE ANIMAL-MEN BECAME REAL MEN 

and whenever one of them succeeded in taking 
a step or two alone, he shouted, ^^Ho! Ho!'' so 
that the others would notice him. 

It was not many days before some of them 
came to the Brothers and held up their hind 
feet which were becoming calloused and sore 
from walking on them so much. 

^^Come with us," said the Beloved Twain; 
and they took the people to where large yucca 
plants were growing and showed them how to 
split the long blades into fiber and weave it into 
sandals to protect their feet. Then they showed 
the people how to plait kilts of bark to cover 
their nakedness. 

Already some of the people could learn faster 
than the others and showed that they were to 
become the masters. For the wiser ones had 
brought up from the depths of the earth what 
they afterwards called the ^^of-doing-power." 
And this ^^doing power," this discovery that they 
could help themselves, was the best thing that 
had yet come to them. 

All this time, the earth, like the people, was 
not ripe nor finished. It trembled; and every 
little while volcanoes poured out lava and ashes. 

The mountains were still being lifted higher, 

7 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

and there were earthquakes which frightened 
the people. 

Now at that time no one, not even the wise 
Brothers, ever dreamed that the earth was a 
round globe. They thought it was a flat plain 
except for the mountains; and they supposed 
that, of course, it had a prop under the middle 
to hold it up. They thought that if they could 
get to the middle, right above the prop, it would 
not tremble and move up and down any more. 
They believed that it was like a teeterboard, and 
that their weight all on one side caused it to 
tip. So, trying to find the middle, they moved 
on to a place where there were fewer earth- 
quakes. 

^This shall be our first Sitting Place," said 
the Beloved Twain. They tarried there, living 
on grass-seeds and berries, and sleeping under 
the bushes and among the rocks. 

Yet after a time, there came a fearful earth- 
quake. The mountains staggered and the plains 
boomed and cracked. The people were wild 
with terror. Great numbers of them went crazy 
and then died. Their blood gushed forth and 
was scorched into black lava which covered all 
the plain. Their bodies were twisted together 
and turned into queer stones which still stand 

8 



HOW THE ANIMAL-MEN BECAME REAL MEN 

everyv/here in that country, like those in the 
Garden of the Gods in Colorado. 

The whole plain was buried in ashes and lava. 
Then, suddenly, there came a teriffic downpour 
of water which washed deep seams in the moun- 
tains and made the paths by which the people 
who were still alive escaped to the high places. 

When the turmoil was over and the earth was 
dry again, the Beloved Twain led the people 
onward to their second Sitting Place. 

^^Here we will stay, and now we will make 
huts of boughs to shelter us from the heat and 
and wind,'^ said the Twain. But scarcely were 
the shelters made when the earth rumbled again, 
and they moved on to their third Sitting Place. 

^^Surely this is the middle and the earth will 
teeter no more," they said. 

Here they piled up stones for houses and re- 
mained for a long time. All the while they 
were becoming less timid, more erect and sure- 
footed, more knowing. And always when they 
moved onward, just as when they climbed out 
of the first caves, the more beast-like and lazy 
fell back and were left behind. In that way 
there came to be different kinds of people living 
in different parts of the country. And each 

9 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

time, those who pressed onward became ever 
more and more manlike. 

They were well pleased with their third Sit- 
ting Place, and when the rumblings came again 
and the Brothers blew the conchs, saying, ^We 
must move on," some refused to obey the order 
and perished miserably in the earthquake. 

Those who went onward came to a river at 
which the Beloved Twain said : ''Now it is time 
for you truly to be men. No longer shall you 
wear tails and have webbed hands and feet." 

But when the Brothers began to cut off the 
tails and slit the webs on the toes and fingers 
some cried out at the blood and the pain, and 
others were frightened and foolishly fled away, 
crazed and chattering loudly; fled to the far 
south country, where they lived in the tree tops 
and became ''Our Lost Others," the monkeys. 

Those who had now become men and had 
moved onward, took seven seeds of large, 
plumed grasses and planted them for the seven 
points of the compass (east, west, north, south, 
zenith, nadir, and middle). But they did not 
know how to plant them for the three last points, 
and the "middle" was to them the most impor- 
tant of all. 

"Look up at the sky and plant the seven so as 

10 



HOW THE ANIMAL-MEN BECAME REAL MEN 

to make a figure like the seven stars in the 
Great Dipper," said the Brothers. 

So they planted the seeds in that way, and 
when the grasses grew pretty tall they chose 
seven of the prettiest maidens, and one of the 
youths danced with a maiden around the first 
plant, and with another maiden around the 
second plant, till he had danced around all, 
stretching the stalks and making joints and 
leaves as had been done in the lowest cave. And 
when the dancing and stretching was ended, — 
behold! there stood seven stalks of ripened corn. 
And the tribe that had planted them became 
^'The People of the Seed"; for corn is the seed 
of all seeds to the Indians, and is their chief 
article of food. 

And each of the seven stalks of corn raised 
a kind of its own which is sacred to its own 
point of the compass, red, white, yellow, blue, 
black, spotted, and mottled ; and the pretty mot- 
tled one belongs to the center or midmost which 
the people were trying to find. But on all the 
corn stalks there grew — and still grows — the 
plumes or tassels of the grasses around which 
the maidens danced. 

Seven times the rumblings came, and seven 
times the Beloved Twain blew the conchs and 

11 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

bade them move on; and each time it was harder 
for them to obey, for they were now building 
houses and raising fields of corn. They were 
sad at leaving their homes. But at last, the 
faithful Brothers guided them to Zuni (pro- 
nounced Zun-yi) in New Mexico, and had them 
build a ^^Seven-parted pueblo" (an adobe vil- 
lage of seven sections), one for each point of 
the compass. 

^^Surely, surely," said the Twain, ''wc are at 
the middle, over the prop which holds up the 
earth, and it will tremble and teeter no more." 

The Beloved Brothers made tests to assure 
the people that they would be safe. So there the 
wanderers have lived in peace ever since. 

Once, it is true, a terrible flood came, and 
the people had to fly for safety to the rumbling 
Thunder Mountain. Yet ever, '^at the middle 
time" (when the Sun reaches the middle be- 
tween summxcr and winter), the priests of the 
pueblo put out the fires in the houses, watch all 
night by a sacred fire made by rubbing sticks 
together as the Brothers made the first fire, bring 
forth the things of the lightning, and ^'test the 
middle" as the Beloved Twain tested it before 
they went up the Milky Way to live with the 
Sun-Father. 

12 



I 



II 



THE SUN-BRIGHT HEROES 

If you had to stay in the woods all alone 
through a long dark night, and heard the wolves 
howling and the mountain lions growling, and 
you knew that at any moment they might pounce 
upon you, and you couldn't see them, you would 
wish and wish that it would come daylight. It 
is terrible to know that danger is approaching 
and not be able to see it, though you are staring 
into the darkness till your eyes almost pop out 
of your head. If the long, dreadful night ever 
came to an end, you would be so glad to see 
the Sun that you simply wouldn't know what to 
do. You would be thankful to it, and would 
love it. 

That was the way the first people felt toward 
it. They were not nearly so much afraid of the 
wild beasts in the daytime when they could see 
them. And then, too, savage animals do not 
prowl about as much in the daylight as in the 
darkness. So that was one reason why the peo- 

13 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

pie worshiped the Sun. Another reason was 
that before they had learned to make a fire 
they were often cold in the night and were glad 
when the Sun came to warm them. 

Then, as the seasons came and went, and they 
began to look into things more closely, they 
discovered that it was the rays which the Sun 
sent to earth which made plants and fruits grow 
and ripen. 

'^In the winter," said the wise ones, 'Vhen 
the Sun goes off on a visit, these things die ; but 
in the spring when he comes home, they come 
to life again. 

^^There must be something alive in the Sun,'' 
they said. ^'How could he do it if he is not 
alive? No one who is not alive can do things." 

^^And he comes down here where we live to 
do this work," said one. 

^'It is his spirit that comes down. No one 
helps us as he does. He is our good Manitou." 

Thus the people talked, trying to explain 
what they could not explain; and in time they 
worked out many queer stories of what this Sun 
Spirit did on earth. 

Toward evening, when they saw the shadows 
creep up the mountain side till all the light that 
was left was on the mountain peak they said: 

14 



THE SUN-BRIGHT HEROES 

^^The Manitou's enemy pursued him and he 
climbed the mountain, and there he lay down 
and died." 

When they saw the round reflection of the 
Sun in the lake, they said, ^^The Sun-Manitou 
has fallen into the water and drowned." 

Those living on the shore of the ocean said, 
^^He sailed away in a beautiful canoe covered 
with shining abalone shells." 

But they learned that whatever befell this Sun- 
Manitou, whether it was the clouds that hid 
him or the lake that drowned him, he always 
came back the next morning or on some future 
morning. So they said, ^When he told us he 
must leave us, he promised to come back at some 
future day." 

When they saw the morning sunlight leap 
from mountain-range to mountain-range with- 
out shining in the valley, they said the Sun- 
Spirit wore magic, ^^ten-league boots" which 
helped him to do it. 

Every tribe of Indians had its own name and 
its own story of what this Sun-Spirit did when 
he came to their land and became an earthly 
hero. In the east they called him Kul-oos-kap ; 
at the Great Lakes his name was Man-a-bo-zho; 
in the northwest it was Na-pi, the Old Man; the 

15 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

Tewas called him the Sun-Boy; in California 
they called him O-lel-bis; the Sauks called him 
Wi-sa-ka-ha; the Pawnees called him Tir-a-wa, 
and so on. I will tell you some of the stories 
of what this Sun-Hero did when he came down 
to earth. 

KUL-OOS-KAP 

Kulooskap was born long, very long ago, be- 
fore there were any men on earth. He was so 
tall that he could step across a valley from one 
range of mountains to another at a single stride, 
for he wore the "ten-league boots." Once when 
he was running a race with his rival, the Dark- 
ness, he jumped from the mainland to the island 
of Grand Manan, nine miles away. 

When he wished to cross Herbert River all 
he did was to wish for a bridge to be there, and 
there it was. Once he wished to cross a Big 
Water and he sang a magic song which the 
whales understand and the largest of the whales 
came to the shore, and Kulooskap stepped upon 
its back and it carried him across. 

When he first came to this land, he came to 
Nova Scotia. No people were there then, so 
he selected fine, tall ash trees and shot his ar- 

16 



THE SUN-BRIGHT HEROES 

rows into them, and wherever an arrow stuck 
an Indian came out of the bark. 

Then he made all the animals, and made them 
very large at first and so strong that they were 
the masters. But he wanted man to be the mas- 
ter over them, so he had to make them smaller. 

For a long time he lived with the people he 
had made, teaching them how to make bows and 
arrows and fish-nets, how to hunt, how to build 
huts and canoes, and what plants and animals 
they could eat without being poisoned. 

But he did not want men to think always 
about themselves and the things nearest them, 
so one night he had them look up into the sky, 
and told them the names of the stars; and he 
showed them the Milky Way, the pathway to 
the Upper World. 

Kulooskap had not yet made water animals; 
but one day a strange thing happened. Some 
Indians were talking together and one said: 

^^I would like to lie in the cool mud." 

^^I would like to dive and take headers,'' said 
another. 

^'I would like to be washed up and down by 
the waves, yet live part of the time on land," 
said a third. 

17 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

^'And I would like to swim about in the water 
forever," said the fourth. 

Now at that very moment Kulooskap was say- 
ing, ^^Whatever an}^ of my people are vvdshing 
at this moment they shall have." So the first 
that had wished became a leech; the second, a 
frog; the third, a crab; and the fourth, a fish. 
The river carried them to the sea and they were 
washed to many lands, and thus there were ani- 
mals to live in the water. 

When Kulooskap had done all he could for 
mankind he made them a farewell feast on the 
shores of Lake Minas. All the animals and all 
the people came to it. When the feast w^as 
ended, he got into his canoe and they looked 
after him till they could see him no more. After 
they ceased to see him, they could still hear his 
voice, singing. 

When the sound wholly died away a deep 
silence fell upon them all, and a great marvel 
came to pass; for all living creatures who, till 
now, had spoken the same language, were no 
longer able to understand each other, and they 
fled afar, each his own way. Until the day 
when Kulooskap shall return, all creatures 
mourn. Even the Loons, who had been his 
messengers, go restlessly up and down the earth 

18 



THE SUN-BRIGHT HEROES 

making their strange, long cry, ^^Kwe-e-e- 
moo-o-o, Kv/e-e-e-e-moo-oo," wailing because 
they cannot find their master. 

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ 

Viv y|v vjv vjv v;\ vjv 7|v 

MAN-A-BO-ZHO 

Manabozho came to earth to help mankind 
free the world of monsters and make it a com- 
fortable place for people to live in. He came 
from the Sun-Father, but he took the form of a 
man and lived among the Indians as one of 
them. In fact, he appeared on earth as a mere 
child, living with his grandmother, who was 
the daughter of the Moon. His mother was 
dead, but his father, the West Wind, was still 
living, and the lad was related to all the points 
of the compass. 

Fie could stride across the valley at a single 
step. His voice could sound lii^e a thunder- 
clap or at other times be as soft as the zephyr 
which sends gentle billows through the grass 
at the dawning of day. He had a magic canoe 
which carried him swiftly wtierever he wished 
to go. He killed the giants, and lifted great 
trees out of the rivers so the Indian canoes could 
pass. But like a wise teacher, he had men help 

19 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

him in all he did for them so that they might 
learn to help themselves. 

As a child, he could not do these things. He 
seemed quite timid and ignorant. He was liv- 
ing with his grandmother at the edge of a wide 
prairie, and it was there that he first saw birds 
and other animals, and he often trembled at 
what he saw and heard. The first sound that 
terrified him was the hoot of an owl, and he 
ran in alarm to the lodge. 

^'Noko! Noko!"' he cried, ^'I have heard a 
terrible Monedo." 

She laughed at his fears, and asked: ''What 
kind of a noise did it make?" 

''It talked like this: 'Ko-ko-ko-ko.' 

"Oh, you foolish young thing!" said the 
grandmother; "that was only a bird, and we call 
it Ko-ko from the way it talks. Go back to the 
edge of the prairie. Watch there day after day, 
and you will see many of the mysterious things 
done by the Sun-Father, the Big Manitou in the 
sky." 

And there, in his watchings, he saw the sweep- 
ing tempests, the thunder and lightning, the 
coming of light and the fleeing of darkness; and 
he said to his grandmother: "Daylight and 

^ Grandmother. 

20 



THE SUN-BRIGHT HEROES 

Darkness are forever chasing each other across 
the earthj but neither one ever can kill the other 
so that he stays dead. They come to life again." 

Every new sight he beheld in the heavens, 
every new animal he saw, or sound he heard, 
was a lesson which he learned. 

^^It is strange that I am so simple, and my 
grandmother so wise," he said to himself. And 
when he asked his grandmother why it was, she 
replied: 

^^You are down here to help the Indians, and 
you cannot do that unless you live and do as 
they do. Every Indian youth goes away by 
himself and fasts until he has a dream which 
gives him wisdom and shows him what he is 
to be and do. It is time that you should make 
your fast." 

After he had gone alone into the forest, and 
had fasted for seven days and nights, he sang 
his war song, and all his timidity left him. He 
now had a giant's strength and power. He could 
change from one form to another and be an 
animal, a Manitou, a plant, or a tree. When 
he destroyed the great serpents, he turned him- 
self into a stump and stood beside the water 
until they came out to bask in the sun. 

He often talked with fowls, fishes, and other 

21 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

animals, calling them ^^my brother," for he said 
he was related to all things. He was wise and 
courageous, and the Red Men admired him 
while he was on earth, and they love him now 
that they see him no more. 

^ 4^ ^ ¥^ ^ ^ 

NA-PI, THE OLD MAN 

Napi, the Sun-Hero of the Blackfeet Indians, 
did not come to them in the shape of a child, 
as Manabozho did. He was an old man when 
they first saw him. And he came in an odd way. 
At that time there was nothing but water any- 
where, and the Old Man came floating on a 
raft, and he had all the animals sitting on the 
raft with him. 

There was no place on which they could get 
ofif, and Napi wanted land. So he scattered dust 
on the water and it made land. 

Then he traveled about on the land, marking 
the rivers, putting falls into them, making the 
prairie and the mountains; and on the wide 
prairie now called Montana, he put the Sweet 
Grass Hills. He made the grass, the trees, the 
bushes, and the berries; and he had them grow 
where the soil was best suited for them. He 
tried each kind of animal to see where it could 

22 



THE SUN-BRIGHT HEROES 

live best. He took the big-horn to the moun- 
tains and said to it: 

^^You were clumsy on the prairie; this is 
where you shall live." 

To the antelope he said, ^^You ran too fast 
and fell over the crags when I had you in the 
mountains. Here on the prairie is the place 
for you." 

When he had arranged all these things, he 
modeled some clay into human shape and said 
to it, ^'You shall be people." 

He spread his robe over the figures and went 
away, coming back each morning to look at 
them. On the fourth morning he said to them, 
^^Stand up and walk," and they did so, and went 
down to the river with him. 

^^You are the new men," he told them. '^I am 
Napi, the Old Man." 

These first people did not have hands like a 
person's ; they had hands like a bear, with long 
claws. They were naked, and did not know how 
to get a living; so he showed them what berries, 
roots, and barks were good to eat. He made 
five tribes of people and marked off places for 
them to live. 

One day, as Old Man was walking about, he 

23 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

came upon some people who had been killed 
and partly eaten by buffalo. 

^^I did not make these people right. I will 
change this and have the people kill and eat the 
buffalo," said he. 

So he showed them how to make bows and 
arrows with flint heads, and stone slings, and 
knives, so that they might live on the meat of 
the buffalo and have their hides for clothing 
and tepees. And the first buffalo that was hit 
by an arrow, cried out to the others, ^^Oh, my 
friends, a big fly is biting me." 

Old Man shov/ed the people how to pile 
stones and brush in the form of a huge V with 
the point open at the edge of the cliff, and how 
to drive the buffalo into it and over the edge 
of the precipice to kill them. By rubbing punk 
and flint together, he taught them how to build 
a fire to cook their meat. One time when all 
the buffalo, elk, and antelope disappeared and 
the Blackfeet were starving, Old Man knew 
that some other tribe had hidden them; so he 
changed himself into a little dog and hunted 
till he found them penned in a cave. Then he 
drove them out so that all the people could have 
them. 

At last Old Man told his people that he must 

24 



THE SUN-BRIGHT HEROES 

leave them and go back into the sky to dwell. 
They were very sad at parting from him, but he 
said : 

^^I will watch over you from above, and some 
day I will come back and fix up the earth, and 
bring the dead to live with you.'' 

Then he went into the bottom of a lake, and 
the waves rose so high that they lifted him to 
the sky and he went into the ^^Upper World." 

THE SANTA CLARA SUN-BOY 

The Sun-Boy of the Santa Clara Indians of 
New Mexico came to earth as a mere baby. 
His mother was a poor, despised Indian girl 
living with her grandmother in an old pueblo 
where Ojo Caliente now stands. 

Every fall all the villagers went to the moun- 
tains to gather the nuts or seeds of the pinon 
pine. (Pronounced pin-yone.) One fall, as 
they were going along, the girl and her grand- 
mother lagged behind, for they knew they were 
not welcome among the others. Suddenly, a 
radiant person appeared to the girl and asked: 

^Why are you making this journey?" 

^^To gather pinons," she replied. 

^'Here is a pinon worth all the rest," said the 
being. 

25 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

^^I will give it to you. Do not go on. Turn 
about and go home." 

She took the pinon nut and did as she had 
been told to do. When she and her grand- 
mother arrived at home they found the house 
filled with new, strange, white-people's food 
and furniture. From that time on, their wants 
were supplied in some mysterious way without 
any effort on their part. This made the vil- 
lagers wonder. 

After a time, in some miraculous manner, 
the pinon nut turned into a baby boy, the child 
of the girl who had been poor. While he was 
small, the people paid no attention to the child ; 
but when he became old enough to go out with 
the men, they noticed that he always wore fine 
clothes and never missed the mark when he 
threw a stone or shot an arrow. They watched 
him, and found that he was so skillful with the 
bow that there must be some magic about it. 
They called him before the council. 

^Where did you get your wonderful powers 
and your fine clothes?" they asked him. 

^^I do not know," he replied. ^Terhaps my 
father, the Sun, gives them to me." 

^^Huh! Huh! If you are so great a personage 

26 



THE SUN-BRIGHT HEROES 

as that, and if you have powers in yourself, per- 
form us a miracle." 

^What would you have me do?" inquired the 
young man. 

^We have seen no buffalo for many moons; 
we are hungry. Bring the buffalo," said they. 

^^The buffalo will be here to-morrow morn- 
ing," said the Sun-Boy. 

They stationed their best hunters at the four 
corners of the pueblo, with bows and arrows. 
The Sun-Boy stood on the flat house top; and 
when the Sun came over the hilltop the sunrise 
was dirty with buffalo (the animals were so 
numerous they raised a cloud of dust which hid 
the sun). 

The buffalo rushed through the pueblo tram- 
pling to death some of the men stationed to kill 
them. The Indians thought this was a punish- 
ment for their lack of faith in the Sun-Boy, and 
to make it right, they elected him chief. 

His rule was so wise that six other pueblos 
put themselves under his authority, and, under 
him, they became rich and powerful. 

After many years, he began to prophesy the 
coming of a strange race to conquer them. The 
people asked if they might prepare to resist the 
invaders when they came. 

27 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

^^If you can stand a test which I will give you, 
you may resist/' said he. 

He called together the principal men of the 
seven pueblos. Then he disappeared and imme- 
diately reappeared, coming down from above on 
horseback, all booted and spurred as a Spanish 
cavalier, with a company of Spanish soldiers 
dressed in the same manner; and following them 
came beautiful Spanish ladies, gayly attired. 

The Indians were so terrified that they fell 
over each other in trying to escape. 

Almost immediately he came again dressed 
as usual. '^I knew you could not stand the test," 
said he. ^^If you are so terrified at a mere 
vision of the conquerors, what will you be when 
they really come? I must leave you and seek a 
people greater in courage and numbers. But 
when I have driven the invaders away, I will 
come again to visit you." 

He went to Mexico, and there he became a 
very great ruler and they called him Monte- 
zuma. Now and then the story of his greatness 
reached his former people in the pueblos. When 
the Spaniards invaded Mexico, he met them at 
the head of his army. But they were too power- 
ful for him, and just as they were about to cap- 
ture him, he jumped into a lake and escaped 

28 



THE SUN-BRIGHT HEROES 

through an underground passage into a palace 
somewhere down below. He has been there a 
long time; but some day he will come back to 
us.^ 

0-LEL-BIS 

The greatest of all the Sun Heroes is Olelbis 
of the California Indians. He never really 
came down to earth. He sat aloft and ruled in 
kingly fashion. He had a wigwam on top of 
the sky, outside it (for like all the Red Men, 
they thought the sky was a solid dome, as hard 
as brass). From this lofty height he looked 
down on earth and managed everything that 
happened there. 

His wigwam was a charming one. It was 
made by pulling great flowering oaks out by 

^This is the story as told by Joseph of Jesus Orange (Jose de 
Jesus Norangho) of Santa Clara pueblo. When he was told 
that the Spaniards had killed Montezuma he became greatly 

excited, pacing the floor and declaring, "It's a lie ! A — ■ 

Mexican lie! When the Sun-Boy went south he took with him a 
wife. As they went along, she was playing with two pebbles. 
When they came to the border between Mexico and New Mexico, 
she tossed the pebbles up and they came down big rocks which 
stand there yet. If you don't believe the story, I can show you 
the rocks. I have seen them many times." 

And all the pueblo dwellers think that is proof enough. On 
Saturday night, at the Station of the Arrow-Makers, in the hill- 
side near Santa Clara, we saw the candles burning which are put 
there to assure the Sun-Boy that his faithful followers still await 
his coming. 

29 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

the roots and planting them in a circle and ty- 
ing the tops together. This big tent was one 
mass of flowers all the time, and the fragrance 
of it was delightful. The mats on the floors 
were of flowers. The seat running around the 
wall was of flowers. Everything, inside and out, 
was as beautiful and sweet-smelling as could be. 

Olelbis had a sky-pole and a sky-prop so that 
when he wanted to, he could have the sky pried 
up and propped, and whoever he wished could 
go out and in. He took Luchi, the humming- 
bird, for his messenger, because the humming- 
bird doesn't take time to fly by flapping its 
wings ; it just darts through the air. 

One time two of the tribes down on earth got 
to fighting, and one of the tribes set fire to the 
dry prairie grass to drive the other away. The 
fire burned so fiercely that it was destroying 
everything in its way and was likely to burn up 
even the rocks. Olelbis looked down, and see- 
ing the smoke and the flame, called the hum- 
mingbird. 

^^Luchi," said he, '^take this sky-pole and this 
sky-prop and go down and pry up and prop the 
sky where the northeast corner of earth sticks 
out beyond the sky. There, outside, you will 
find Old Kahit, the Wind, sitting on the ground, 

30 



THE SUN-BRIGHT HEROES 

bent over with his head in his hands. He al- 
ways sits that way, and never raises his head 
unless he is called. You call him and tell him 
to come with all haste and bring Mem Loimis, 
the Water, with him to put out that fire down 
there." 

While Olelbis was speaking, the humming- 
bird was making a kind of throbbing within his 
body like an engine just ready to start. As soon 
as Olelbis was through talking, off darted Luchi^ 
and in no time he had the sky propped up and 
had gone through and was telling Kahit what 
he was to do. 

^^I can't wait for you," said Luchi, ^^but I will 
leave the sky up so you can get through" ; and 
off he went like a streak of light. 

Kahit started at once, blowing with all his 
might, puffing out his cheei^s, blowing his whis- 
tle, and pushing the Water ahead of him. He 
blew so hard that the water swept everything 
ahead of it and rose almost to the top of the sky. 
Olelbis, standing above, saw men and animals 
being swept along on the crest of the waves, and 
whenever one that he especially liked came by, 
he reached down and pulled him into the wig- 
wam — for the wigwam could expand like a 
balloon and make room. Among others that 

31 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

he saved in this way were the Hus brothers of 
whom you shall hear by and by. 

When Kahit and Mem Loimis went back 
home they had done their work so thoroughly 
that there wasn't a thing but bare rocks left on 
earth. There wasn't a bit of soil for trees and 
plants to grow in. So Olelbis had to call the 
hummingbird again and give him the sky-pole 
and sky-prop. 

"Go down this time, Luchi, to the southwest 
corner of the earth and prop up the sky," said 
he. 

When this was done, he said to tvvo of the 
people he had snatched from the waters: "You 
go down to the southwest where most of the 
soil was washed by the flood, and bring up dirt 
in large round baskets. Go again, and bring 
more. Keep going." 

Olelbis let down a sky-net which he always 
keeps fastened across on the under side of the 
sky — ready to sift the snow — and as fast as the 
baskets were emptied into the net he sifted the 
dirt down till the earth was covered with soil. 

Then he sent down the animals he had saved, 
to re-stock the world. 



32 



Ill 



THE HEAVENLY STAIR OF THE 
HUS BROTHERS 

The Hus Brothers who had been saved were 
still in the Great Flowered Wigwam after Olel- 
bis had fitted the earth with soil again. One 
day Olelbis said to the Brothers: 

^^I have a great work for you to do. Go down 
where that first tree is. Right there a people 
will soon come up out of the earth. Near there 
you two Brothers are to make a stone road lead- 
ing from earth to my Wigwam. Gather stones 
and pile them firmly and make the road strong. 
Make it like a stairway, one step above another. 
When you have built it half way up to my 
Wigwam, make a place where people can stay 
over night. Put good water there. When the 
people who are to come out of the earth have 
v/alked around until they have grown old, they 
will come to this road you are to build, climb 
the steps, drink of the water which is half way 

33 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

Up, rest all night, and be ready to travel on in 
the morning. 

'^Up at this end of the stone stair I will put 
two springs of water, one for them to drink and 
the other for them to bathe in. When they 
drink and bathe they will come out fresh and 
strong. They will go down to earth again young 
and healthy. When they grow old a second 
time, they will come up, bathe and drink, and 
be young a second time. It will be this way 
forever. Nobody will die. Nobody will marry. 
All will be as brothers and sisters. Go now, 
and make that great road.'' 

The Brothers went down and one brought the 
stones while the other piled them up. They 
worked so well that by the first night the stair- 
way was as high as a big house. By the second 
night it was as high as the tallest tree. By the 
sixth day it was touching the clouds. 

A little before noon of the sixth day, the 
Brothers saw Old Coyote coming. Coyote was 
a man in those days. He was beautifully dressed 
with beaded garments and shell fringes that jin- 
gled as he walked. He came near and stood 
watching them, but they kept on with their 
work and did not speak to him. 

At last Old Coyote said: '^My grandsons, 

34 



THE HEAVENLY STAIR OF THE HUS BROTHERS 

Stop work. Rest awhile, and tell me what you 
are doing. Come and sit with me awhile and 
we will talk." 

The Brothers made no answer, but kept on 
with their work. 

That vexed Coyote, and he said: ^^Grandsons, 
stop av^^hile and tell me what you are doing. If 
you don't stop, I will spoil your work. I will 
destroy what you are making." 

Then the Brothers came to him for they were 
frightened and afraid he might injure their 
stair. 

^^This work is not for us," they said. "It is 
for Olelbis. Olelbis sent us down here to make 
this great road. Peopk are to come up out of 
the ground ; and when they have grown old they 
are to go up this stone stair to the Wigwam on 
top of the sky and be made young again; they 
are never to marry; never to die." 

"Huh!" said Coyote, sneeringly, "do you be- 
lieve that? Do you think that every word Olel- 
bis says is true? Do you think it is wise? Do 
you think it is good? Now, my grandsons, I 
will tell you something. You ought to know 
that an old man like me has words to speak, — 
that he knows something wise. I will tell you 

35 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

something that is better than the plan of 
Olelbis : 

^^Suppose an old man goes up this road all 
alone, drinks at one spring and bathes in an- 
other, and comes down young. He will be all 
alone just as he was before. Suppose an old 
woman goes up, drinks, and bathes, and comes 
down young. She will be alone as before. They 
will never have any children, never have any 
friends. They will never have any fun in the 
world. They will never have anything to do 
but go up the road old to come down young. 

^^If nothing dies, deer will not die; fish will 
not die; the people cannot kill them. What are 
they to eat? I will tell you how it should be. 
It is better for people to marry young, live to- 
gether, work together, and have children. Then 
they can say, 'Come and let us gather acorns'; 
and the women can go to the neighbors and say, 
'What a nice baby you have.' They will have 
something to do ; som.ething to talk about. When 
a man dies, they will say, 'A man died over there. 
They will bury him to-morrow'; and they will 
cry and will help the relatives of the dead man. 
And when people grow old and die, they will 
leave sons and daughters to marry and grow old 

36 



THE HEAVENLY STAIR OF THE HUS BROTHERS 

and leave other sons and daughters, and there 
v^ill be some change in the world." 

Coyote talked a long w^hile, telling all that 
the coming people would do. Finally he said : 
^Well, my grandsons, what I tell you is right. 
What do you think?" 

The Brothers said nothing at first. They 
thought and thought. After a while the elder 
one said : 

^^I think what you say is better. I believe you 
are old enough and ought to know. I think you 
are right." 

^^Grandfather," asked the younger one, 
^Vould you like to die, too, the same as the 
others, and be lying on the ground and not rise 
any more, never go around with an otter-skin 
band on your head, and a beautiful quiver at 
your back, and fine clothes such as you are wear- 
ing to-day? You want death in the world. What 
would you say if you had to die yourself?" 

When the younger Brother had said this, the 
two stood up and walked off a little way. Coy- 
ote had not thought that if every one died he 
would have to die, too. He didn't like the idea. 

^^My grandsons, come back, come back," he 
cried. ^ We have not finished talking. We will 

37 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

talk this all over again. Come back, my grand- 
sons, come back." 

But the two Brothers did not come back. They 
walked on and said nothing. After a time they 
turned and went to where their road was. They 
pulled out some big stones, and the whole stair- 
way fell to the ground in a great heap of rocks 
which are there to this day. 

The Brothers flew up then, circling around, 
going higher and higher till at last they reached 
the Great Wigwam. 

Old Coyote saw them fly up. He watched 
them until they disappeared. He was troubled, 
and stood looking around for a long time. 

^What am I to do now?" he said. '^I wish I 
had not said all that; wish I had not talked so 
much. I wish I had not said anything." 

He looked around and found some sunflowers 
with long, broad leaves. He took off all his 
fine clothes and stuck the leaves into his body, 
all the way up and down his arms and legs and 
over his body. He made a tail of leaves, and 
then he said : 

^^Now I will go up to Olelbis. I am not going 
to stay down here where people die. I am go- 
ing up where the Hus Brothers went." 

He rose, and flew around and around, and 

38 



THE HEAVENLY STAIR OF THE HUS BROTHERS 

got pretty high. But the leaves dried in the hot 
sun and began to break. Soon he came down 
and struck the ground so hard that it crippled 
him. Olelbis looked dow^n and saw him trying 
to fly; saw him fall. 

"It is his own fault," said Olelbis. "He 
wanted other people to die, and hereafter all 
his own people shall fall around and die, and 
be found dead at roadsides and where people 
pass." 



39 



IV 



WI-SA-KA-HA SLAYS THE CLOUD 
MANITOUS 

WlSAKAHA^ and his little brother^ lived 
with their old grandmother^ Hu-ki,^ who loved 
them and tried to keep them with her all the 
time. She was so fond of them that the fog and 
cloud manitous living on the earth and in the 
caves below the ground became jealous, and 
planned to kill the two young men. Hu-ki 
heard of the plot and said to the manitous : 

^^You will never be able to kill Wisakaha 
however much you may try. If you make the 
attempt, it will be the fiercest fight ever fought 
by manitous." 

The manitous hastened away and met the lads 
before their grandmother could warn them. 

"We are all going on a journey over a beauti- 
ful country," said the manitous, "and we ask 
both of you to join us. You, Wisakaha, come 

iThe Sun. 2 Morning Star. 3 sky. 

40 



WI-SA-KA-HA SLAYS THE CLOUD MANITOUS 

with US older ones and let your little brother 
go with the younger ones." 

The youths consented, and starting out each 
with his own party, were soon out of sight of 
each other. After a while, Wisakaha noticed 
that there were not so many manitous with him 
as at first, and he thought some of them might 
have become tired and have fallen back with 
the other party. He felt rather proud of being 
able to outwalk them. But the next time he 
glanced back over his shoulder there was only 
one manitou following, and that one was stoop- 
ing over. 

^^Go on; don't stop for me," said the old mani- 
tou. I shall be up and following you as soon 
as I have tied my moccasin string." 

While going up a hill, Wisakaha looked 
again and found that this last manitou was no 
longer with him. Just then he heard a cry 
from afar : 

^^Oh, Wisakaha, my elder brother, I am 
dying!" 

Wisakaha listened, and heard the cry 
repeated. 

^^Oh, Wisakaha, my elder brother, — I am 
dy — ing!" 

He hastened to the top of the hill and looked 

41 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

all around, and as he did so he heard the cry 
repeated for the fourth time. 

^^Oh, Wisakaha, my elder brother, — I am 
dy— ing!" 

He ran from crest to crest hoping to catch 
sight of his younger brother ; but nowhere could 
he find him. Neither was there a single mani- 
tou in sight in the w^hole wide country. 

After long search, he returned home in great 
trouble, and when he heard what Huki had to 
tell him, he knew that his little brother was 
dead. 

He mourned four days after the Indian fash- 
ion, and then he went out to find the manitous 
who had slain his brother. He went far, and 
hunted long. As he was pacing the shore of the 
sea one day, weeping and sad, a little bird flut- 
tered against his cheek and whispered : 

^^I can tell you where the two manitous live 
who had most to do with the death of your 
brother. Do you see that island out there in 
the sea? In the center of that is a hole leading 
to the cave in which they stay. Every morning, 
early, they come out and stretch themselves 
along the sand and lie there sunning themselves ; 
one looking out over the sea to the north and 

42 



WI-SA-KA-HA SLAYS THE CLOUD MANITOUS 

the Other to the south, guarding it so that no one 
can approach alive." 

Wisakaha went away to a mountain which 
reached above the clouds, and there he sat, un- 
seen, looidng down on the manitous and plan- 
ning how he could destroy them. It was Autumn, 
and he saw dead leaves and grasses wafted 
across the water and falling beside the mani- 
tous, unheeded by them. He went down, made 
himself invisible, and wafted himself over the 
water on a spider web. He fell exactly between 
the manitous, and, assuming his proper form, 
quickly sent an arrow into each of them. 

Then the manitous howled so loud with pain 
that the earth shook, and all the other manitous, 
hearing the cry, came hurrying to the rescue. 
But Wisakaha quickly thrust a hot iron into 
the wounds in the two manitous which he had 
made with his arrows. 

The manitous far away among the hills heard 
the shriek of pain coming from the dying chiefs, 
and at once they saw puffs of smoke shooting 
skyward from the island. Then they caught the 
smell of burning flesh. 

Then, indeed, the wrath of the manitous burst 
forth. They talked fiercely, and the earth shook 
under the heavy tread of their hurrying feet. 

43 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

They rushed in fury to the isiand, — but only to 
find that Wisakaha had fled, leaving the remains 
of the two chiefs sizzling over the fire. 

The wrathful manitous howled and wailed, 
and hurled fire into all the places where they 
thought Wisakaha might be hiding. Then they 
sent fierce storms, so that the rivers overflowed, 
the lakes rose, and all the land was covered with 
water. 

Wisakaha fled, pursued by the manitous and 
the flood they had created. Up and up climbed 
the waters till they reached the top of the high- 
est mountain. Wisakaha sprang to the topmost 
branch of a pine tree on the summit of the 
mountain. But the water rose to the foot of the 
tree and began to come up the trunk. 

'^Grandfather, stretch yourself," he said to 
the tree. The tree did so, but the water still 
rose. 

"Grandfather, stretch yourself," he said again, 
and the tree obeyed. 

"Grandfather, stretch yourself," he said for 
the third tim^e, and for the third time the tree 
obeyed. But it said, "This is the last time. I 
cannot go any farther." 

The waters continued to rise till they reached 
his feet. There they stood awhile, and then 

44 



WI-SA-KA-HA SLAYS THE CLOUD MANITOUS 

began to go down. Wisakaha cast his eyes 
around on the wide expanse of waters and espied 
a loon. 

^^Dive down, my brother, and fetch up dirt 
so that I may make a new earth,'' he said to it. 

The bird obeyed, but came to the surface 
dead. 

He saw a muskrat, and said to it, "Dive, and 
if you bring up earth you may live hereafter on 
either land or water, as you please; or I w^ill 
give you a chain of beautiful little lakes bor- 
dered by rushes to live in." 

The muskrat dove down, but floated up sense- 
less. He took the body and breathed into its 
nostrils and restored it to life. 

"Try again," said he. 

The muskrat did so, but came up senseless a 
second time, but with a little earth in its paws, 
which Wisakaha spread on the body of the dead 
loon. From this he created a new earth as large 
as the first had been, with all living animals, 
plants, and fowls. 

On this earth he built him a lodge, and there 
he lived for a long time, getting the earth ready 
for people. He had the animals help him do 
this, for the beavers were glad to cut up the 
fallen trees, and the squirrels liked to scatter 

45 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

nuts SO that new trees would grow. But the 
turkey buzzards had done something which dis- 
pleased him, so he gave them the dirtiest workl 
He made them dig the beds for the rivers to 
run in, and scratch up the mountains which they 
had to shape by soaring along the ridges and 
hitting them with their wings* 

Last of all he called together the manitous 
that had not been drowned in their own flood. 
They came, looking wan and frightened, for 
they remembered how he had killed and burned 
their two chiefs. 

^'You will be black and noisy again as soon 
as you get over your fear," he said to them. 
"Yet you who are left alive had no part in the 
death of my brother, so I will let you live. But 
you must go far away into the sky. You shall 
be the Thunderers; and people will always 
dread and dislike you. 



46 



V 



PAUP-PUK-KEEWIS 

No other one of their heroes delighted the 
Indians of the Great Lakes region so much as 
Paup-Puk-Keewis. He could perform won- 
drous feats, or could cut foolish antics. He was 
a Douglas Fairbanks and a Charlie Chaplin in 
one; and the very mention of his name made 
the little Indians laugh and brought a smile to 
the sober faces of the squaws and the old braves. 
One moment he amused them and the next he 
amazed them. 

He was a clown, a trickster, and a buffoon; 
and at the same time he was the bravest hero 
in all their tribe. He would fight the bear-chief 
single handed, and would attack a whole nest 
of evil manitous alone. He could jump over 
a tall tree or run up a steep cliff which was as 
smooth as glass, for he was a regular Jumping 
Jack, and his legs seemed to have springs in 
them. 

He was all the time bouncing around in a way 
which surprised them, so whenever any little 

47 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

unexpected thing occurred, they said he did it. 
If they were in the forest and the wind sent a 
shower of nuts down on their heads, they said, 
^Taup-Puk-Keewis is pelting us with stones." 
In the winter if a sudden gust blew in the tent 
flap and sent a shower of snow over the inmates, 
they laughed and said, ^Taup-Puk-Keewis is 
snowballing us." 

To the Red Men around the Great Lakes he 
was both the favorite trickster and the great 
wonder-worker, just as Old Coyote is to the 
Indians of the Pacific Coast. But Paup-Puk 
was braver than Old Coyote, for he Vv^as so 
fearless that he would indulge in some prank 
in the midst of a battle with a treacherous foe. 
He had a crazy brain, and his antics were as 
crazy as himself. Yet no one could ever trap 
him, for he could change in an instant into any 
kind of animal, and could be here or at a dis- 
tance in the twinkling of an eye. 

And this singular being came into the world 
in a manner as singular as himself. Indeed the 
manner of his coming surprised even himself; 
for one day a full-grown man w^ith an active 
mind and body, found himself standing all alone 
on the edge of the prairie. He didn't know who 
he was, nor how he got there, nor whether he 

48 



PAUP-PUK-KEEWIS 

had even been bora, nor whether he had grown 
up. He was puzzled over himself. 

^^How came I here? Did I drop from the 
sky?" he said to himself. ^^Am I alone in the 
world? Are there any other beings like 
myself?" 

There were no houses and no people in sight, 
but he felt the springs in his brain and his legs 
working^ and he wished he could go in every 
direction at once to see what he could find. 

^^This being on earth is a great adventure. 
I like the novelty of it," said he to himself, 
^^I will have some fun out of it, anyhow. I 
must travel. I will walk till I find out if there 
are any more like me." 

He did not know where he was going, but he 
started to walk. He went straight ahead across 
the prairie and through the wood. He came to 
a river and crossed it at a bound. 

After traveling a long time he came to a wood 
in which he saw decayed stumps of trees as if 
they had been cut very long ago. At a distance 
farther he found stumps that had been cut more 
recently, and presently he came to fresh tracks 
in the soil and to wood that had been cut and 
piled up. He examined the footprints and then 
looked at those he had made. 

49 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

"Here is something that has a hoof like 
mine," said he. ^^I'll bet anything that the ani- 
mals are just like me." 

Going on, he came about dusk to the edge of 
the forest and saw, farther ahead, a village of 
high lodges standing on a hill. But he did not 
walk to the village as an ordinary man would 
have done. 

^'I will arrive there on a run," thought he; 
and oft he started at full speed. 

On coming to the first lodge, he jumped over 
it. Those within saw something pass over the 
smoke-hole and heard something thump on the 
ground. They went out and there they found 
him, and invited him in. There were several 
men seated around the chief, and he noticed 
that they were shaped like himself. 

^^I do believe," he thought, ^^that some one 
cut a pattern off of me, and then cut them out by 
the same pattern. They look like me; but — 
anyhow, I don't like their looks." 

They greeted him with ^'How! How!" after 
the Indian custom, and set meat before him by 
way of showing their hospitality. When he had 
eaten, the chief spoke. 

^Where are you going? What is your name?'' 

50 



PAUP-PUK-KEEWIS 

^^I am in search of adventure,'' he replied, 
*^and my name is Paup-Puk-Keewis." 

^Taup-Puk-Keewis ! Paup-Puk-Keewis ! A 
Grasshopper!" they exclaimed; and they all 
tittered. 

Somehow, Paup-Puk-Keewis did not feel easy 
in the village. He did not like any of the people 
except one young man. He soon started on, 
taking the young man with him. They trav- 
eled so fast and so far that the young man got 
tired, and while he rested Paup-Puk-Keewis 
cheered him by jumping over a tree, and turn- 
ing around on one leg so fast that it made the 
dust fly. 

One day they came to a village where the 
people seemed very friendly. Paup-Puk-Keewis 
was becoming accustomed to beings like him- 
self, so these did not look as ugly to him as the 
first had done. He stayed with them for some 
time. 

''These people are good to me; I have a mind 
to make this my home," thought he. 

After a while, he noticed that none of the 
villagers ever went toward the West, and asked 
the reason why. 

''Off that way live some dreadful manitous 

51 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

who kill every one who comes near their lodge," 
they told him. 

^^I will visit them/' said Paup-Puk. 

^^Do not go near them. They will eat you," 
said the chief. 

^^Oh, yes! I must go. I am not afraid of 
them. I am just aching for a tussle with them," 
said Paup-Puk. 

When the chief found that Paup-Puk was 
resolved to go, he said: '^Since you are my 
guest, if you are determined to go, I will send 
twenty warriors to help you." 

Paup-Puk thought, ''I don't want their help," 
but he thanked the chief for politeness sake, and 
the party set off. 

When they came in sight of the manitous' 
lodge he placed the young man and the war- 
riors where they could see what occurred, and 
went on alone. 

In the lodge were five hideous-looking mani- 
tous ; a father and his four sons. 

^What have you come for?" asked the old 
one. 

^^Nothing," replied Paup-Puk-Keewis. 
^^Do you want to wrestle?" they asked. 
^^Yes," he replied. 

A hideous smile came over their faces. 

52 



P AUP.P UK-KEE WIS 

^^You go," they said to the eldest brother. 

Paup-Puk-Keewis knew what they were af- 
ter. They expected to kill him and eat his 
flesh. 

While they wrestled the dust and the dry 
leaves flew around as if driven by a high wind. 
The manitou was strong, but Paup-Puk-Keewis 
was stronger, and soon gave him a trip which 
sent him whanging down on a stone; — and he 
burst open like a puff ball. 

One after another the brothers were disposed 
of in the same manner, till the old manitou got 
frightened and ran for his life. Paup-Puk- 
Keewis pursued him and, just for fun, some- 
times he would fly over the old man's head and 
then back again; now he would give him a 
kick, then a push or a trip, till the wicked old 
fellow was almost exhausted. At last Paup- 
Puk-Keewis gave him a kick which broke his 
backbone. Down he fell, and the blood gushing 
from his mouth prevented his saying a word. 

Then Paup-Puk-Keewis and the warriors 
gathered around the hut where the manitous 
had dwelt and saw a great number of human 
bones scattered about it. Paup-Puk-Keewis 
took three arrows and, after performing a cere- 

53 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

mony to the One Above, he shot an arrow into 
the air, crying: 

*^You who are lying down, rise up." 

All the bones moved into one place. 

He shot a second arrow, saying: 

"You who are lying down, rise up." 

Each bone drew toward its fellow bone. 

He shot a third arrow, saying: 

"You who are lying down, rise up." 

At once, all the multitude of people who had 
been killed by the manitous stood up and were 
alive. 

Paup-Puk-Keewis led them to the village of 
the chief who had sent the warriors and gave 
them to him. The villagers were so thankful 
to be rid of the manitous that they begged Paup- 
Puk-Keewis to stay with them, and they prom- 
ised him great honors. But he was born for 
adventure. 

"No," said he, "I do not care for honors. I 
want to see what else there is in the world. I 
would like to see everything and be every kind 
of animal and tree on the earth. I must go on ; 
but you are my people, and some day I will 
come back to you." 

Coming to a lake, he shot a large otter, but 
as he was skinning it, an eagle flew down and 

54 



PAUP-PUK-KEEWIS 

fastened its claws into the carcass. He sent an 
arrow into the eagle under the wing. The bird 
made a short flight upward carrying the carcass 
a few feet into the air, but the weight of the 
otter soon brought the bird down. He skinned 
it and then, just for nonsense, he put the feath- 
ered skin on his head for a war-bonnet. 

He went on to another lake and saw the head 
of a beaver peeping out of the water. 

^^My friend," said he, ^^couldn't you turn me 
into a beaver? It must be great fun to be a 
beaver." 

^^I don't know. I will go and ask the others," 
said the beaver. (Now he could have turned 
himself just as well, but he thought he would 
let them do it.) 

Soon all the beavers showed their heads above 
the water, looking to see if he was armed. But 
he had been clever enough to leave his bow and 
arrows in a hollow tree. When they were satis- 
fied, they all came near. 

^^Cannot all of you, working together, turn 
me into a beaver? I wish to live among you," 
said he. 

"Yes," said the chief, "lie down." 
He lay down and soon felt himself turning 
into one of them. 

55 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

"You must make me large, larger than any of 
you. 

"Yes, yes," said they. ^^By and by, when we 
get you into the lodge we will do it." 

They all dove into the lake, and in passing a 
heap of logs and limbs at the bottom, he asked : 
^Why did you gather these?" 

^They are our winter's provisions. We gnaw 
the bark for our food," they replied. 

The lodge was large and warm, and when 
they all got in, there was a hundred of them. 

^^Now we will make you large," said they, 
exerting their power. ^Will that do?" 

^^Yes," he said, for he was ten times the size 
of the largest. 

^^You need not go out. We will bring your 
food into the lodge," said they. 

Paup-Puk-Keewis thought that was fine. But 
soon one ran into the lodge all out of breath, 
crying: 

*We are visited by the Indians!" 

They huddled together in great fear. The 
water began to lessen, for the Red Men had 
broken down the beavers' dam and soon they 
climbed on the roof of the beavers' lodge, break- 
ing it to pieces. Out jumped the beavers into 



PAUP-PUK-KEEWIS 

the water, and so escaped. But Paup-Puk- 
Keewis was too large to creep out of the hole. 

^^Ho! Ho!" cried one of the Indians, ^^the 
king of the beavers is in here." 

They all got at him and knocked his skull till 
it was soft, yet still he could think as well as he 
ever could. Seven or eight of them placed his 
body on poles and carried it home. 

^What will become of me?" thought he; ^^my 
ghost will not die when they eat my body. But 
I'll let them go ahead, for I'm curious to see 
what will happen." 

The Indians sent out invitations to a great 
feast. The squaws laid him on the snow and 
skinned him; but when his body became cold his 
Jee-bi or ghost went ofif. 

Again he found himself standing on the edge 
of the prairie in human shape. 

After walking a ways he came to a herd of 
elk, grazing. He thought nothing could be 
pleasanter than their easy life and he asked to 
be made into their shape. 

^'Very well!" said they; "get down on your 
hands and feet." 

He did so, and soon found that he was an 
elk. 

57 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

"I want big horns, big feet. I wish to be very 
large," said he. 

"Yes; yes;" said they. "There! Are you 
large enough?" 

"Yes," he answered, for he felt that he was 
very large. 

He had a good time for a while; but one day 
when it was cold, they went into the shelter of 
the woods to browse on the tender branches. 
They had not been there long when some elks 
from behind passed the others like the wind. 
All took the alarm and off they ran, he with the 
rest. 

"Get out on the plains," they cried to him. 
But it was too late. His big horns were already 
tangled in the brush. He jumped furiously, and 
broke down saplings in his flight, for he smelt 
the hunters who had left the other elk and fol- 
lowed his big tracks. He soon felt an arrow in 
his side. He jumped over trees in his agony, 
but the arrows thumped thicker on his sides and 
at last one entered his heart. He fell to the 
ground and heard the whoop of the hunters as 
they gazed in astonishment on his huge body. 

When they skinned him and his flesh got cold, 
his Jee-bi again took its flight, and he found 

58 



PAUP-PUK-KEEWIS 

himself in human shape with his bow and ar- 
rows in his hand. 

Still he was so crazy for adventure that he 
could not be satisfied. He had tried several 
kinds of life on the ground. He next got him- 
self turned into a brant and went flying in the 
air at the tail end of the flock. 

*^You must never look downward in flying, 
or something will happen to you/' they told 
him. 

He got on very well for several days, though 
they were going as swift as arrows. But once 
as they passed over a village, the Indians raised 
such a shout at seeing so large a flock, that the 
noise made him forget the caution. He pulled 
in his long neck and stretched it toward earth 
to look at the shouters, and in a flash, the wind 
caught his tail and blew him over and over. 
He tried to right himself but could not. Down, 
down he went, turning so many somersaults that 
it made him dizzy. For several miles he fell 
in this wild fashion. Then, the first he knew, 
he was jammed into a large, hollow tree. He 
was wedged in so tight that he could get neither 
forward nor backward, and there he remained 
until his brant life was ended by starvation. 

59 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

His Jee-bi again left the carcass and he found 
himself in the form of a human being. 

^^Isn't this wonderful!" he said. ''No matter 
how many times I am killed as an animal, I 
always come out as a man!" 

This time he retained the human form for 
some time, and in traveling about he came to 
the lodge of two white-haired old men who of- 
fered to assist him in any way he wished. How- 
ever, he soon found that they were evil manitous 
who lived only to deceive and torment people, 
so he gave each one a kick that killed him. 
Their blood spurted out against the rocks beside 
the lodge, and that is the reason there are red 
streaks in those rocks to this day. 

Continuing his travels, he came to a lake, the 
bottom of which seemed to be only two feet 
from the surface. Wondering how so large a 
body of water could be so shallow, he looked 
closer and found that what seemed like the bot- 
tom was an enormous number of black fishes 
so thick that they crowded each other. In three 
minutes he caught all he could eat during the 
day. 

''If the people of my village would move 
here," thought he, "they need never want for 

60 



PAUP-PUK-KEEWIS 

food. It would be so easily secured that they 
could play and have good times. I will bring 
them here." 

He changed himself into a partridge and flew 
swiftly to his village where he was received 
^with cries of joy by both old and young. The 
children eagerly gathered about him begging 
him to fly in the air, to spin like a top, and do 
other things which had delighted them when he 
was with them before. He graciously yielded 
to their wishes and set them all into roars of 
laughter. But soon he motioned them away, 
and said to his people : 

^^I know of a lake in which the fishes are so 
numerous that there is no room for them to 
swim and no water between them. I want you 
people to go there to live." 

They gladly agreed, and began preparations! 
at once, moving by short encampments. When 
they came to the lake they found all things as 
he had said, and they encamped to remain many 
years, for they were rejoiced to find food so 
plentiful and life so pleasant. 

But in a few days a bear came to them saying 
that he was a messenger from the chief of the 
bears who wished to see Paup-Puk-Keewis at 
once. Paup-Puk was ready instantly, and he 

61 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

surprised the bear by springing upon his back 
and saying: 

"Run along. Take me to your master." 

They went up a high mountain and toward 
evening came to a cave which was the lodge of 
the king-bear, who was a very large bear with 
fierce eyes. 

"I hear that you are the head of the party that 
has come upon my hunting-grounds and en- 
camped there. You must know that you have 
no right there. You must all leave the country 
immediately or else we will have a battle to see 
who has the strongest force of warriors." 

"Very well!" replied Paup-Puk-Keewis, "I 
will go back to-night and tell my people what 
you say." 

He did not wish to do anything without con- 
sulting the people of the village; and besides, 
he noticed that the bear was already raising a 
>var party. 

"I will send a messenger along," said the 
bear-king, "so that the decision may be brought 
back to me without delay." 

When the messenger appeared, it was the 
same bear that had come to Paup-Puk in the 
first place. So again, Paup-Puk sprang upon 
his back and rode home as on a pony. 

62 



PAUP-PUK-KEEWIS 

He assembled the village and told them what 
the king-bear had said. ^'Now we will kill this 
pony of mine/' said he, ^^and hang the head 
outside the village where the bear spies will 
soon see it and carry the news to their king. 
That is the answer we will send him. Bah! 
Cannot fish in this water! We shall see! And 
there are so many fish! The greedy fellow!'' 

Next morning he got all his young warriors 
ready for a fight. When they had waited one 
day the bear war party came in sight, making 
a tremendous noise. The bear-king was at the 
head. 

"I do not wish to shed the blood of your 
young warriors," said Paup-Puk-Keewis. "Sup- 
pose we two fight, and the one that wins takes 
the warriors of the slain one for his slaves?" 

"All right," said the bear; and they began. 
The bear-king was large and awkward, and 
Paup-Puk could fight all around him. Just to 
amuse his own warriors, he circled around and 
around the king, hitting him a biff on every 
side, moving so swiftly that he stirred up great 
clouds of dust and dry leaves, and the bear-king 
could never tell which way to turn next to ward 
off the blows. When he had had fun enough, 

63 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

he Sprang away and sent an arrow into the side 
of the bear-king who fell down dead. 

"Now we shall have all the black fish we 
want," said Paup-Puk. "Each of you take one 
of these bear warriors and tie him to your door 
to be your messenger and to carry you about." 

When the village had settled down again and 
had gone along prosperously for a whole moon, 
Paup-Puk felt life growing monotonous and 
longed for more adventures, so he bade his peo- 
ple farewell and started off. 

After wandering for a long time, he came to 
the lodge of Manabozho, and, finding no one at 
home, he could not resist the temptation to play 
another trick. So he turned everything in the 
lodge upside down and killed all the chickens. 
Now Manabozho calls all the fowls of the air 
his chickens; and among the number v>^as a 
raven, the mxcanest of birds. This he killed and 
hung up by the neck as a challenge to the great 
Manitou. (And this was the time he would 
better not have tried tricks on Manabozho.) 

Then he went up a very high point of rock 
jutting out over the lake. From the top he 
could see the country around as far as the eye 
could reach. While sitting there the gulls, 
Manabozho's mountain chickens, flew around 

64 



PAUP-PUK-KEEWIS 

him in great numbers. He killed many of them 
and threw their bodies down the rocky preci- 
pice. 

At length a wary bird cried out, "Paup-Puk- 
Keev/is is killing us! Go tell our father!" 

Away flew a flock of them and Manabozho 
soon appeared on the plain below. Paup-Puk- 
Keewis made his escape from the opposite side; 
but Manabozho cried out from the mountain: 

^^The earth is not so large but I can get you." 

Off ran Paup-Puk with Manabozho after 
him. He ran over hills and valleys with all his 
speed, yet Manabozho was fast overtaking him. 
He was dealing with a real Manitou this time, 
and Manabozho was now so close that he put 
out his hand to seize the rascal. Paup-Puk 
dodged him and immediately raised such a 
dust and whirlwind as filled the air with sand 
and leaves, and sent great trees crashing down. 

Again Manabozho's hand was put out to 
grasp him but he dashed into a hollow tree that 
had been blown down and, changing himself 
into a snake, crept out through the roots. And 
well that he did, for at the instant he got out 
Manabozho struck the tree with lightning and 
it was torn into splinters. 

Paup-Puk was again in human form; and 

65 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

again Manabozho pressed him hard. At a dis- 
tance he saw a high bluff of rock jutting out into 
the lake. He ran for this precipice, and as he 
came near the local manitou of the rock opened 
his door and called, ^^Come into my wigwam." 

The door was no sooner closed than Mana- 
bozho knocked. 

^^Open it!" he cried in a loud voice. 

The manitou was afraid, but he said to his 
guest, ^^Since I have sheltered you, I would 
sooner die with you than open the door." 

'^Open it!" Manabozho cried again. 

The manitou kept silent. Manabozho, how- 
ever, made no attempt to open it by force. 

"Very well," said he, "I give you until to- 
night to live." 

The manitou trembled, for he knew he would 
be shut up under the earth. 

Night came. The clouds hung low and black, 
and every moment the forked lightnings flashed 
from them. The black clouds slowly advanced, 
throwing their dark shadows afar, and behind 
them was heard the rumbling noise of coming 
thunder. It was now that, for the first and only 
time, Manabozho called aloud: 

"Pauguk! Pauguk!" (Death). 

Immediately, the thunders broke, the light- 

66 



PAUP-PUK-KEEWIS 

nings flashed, the ground shook, and the solid 
cliff split, tottered, and fell ; and under the ruins 
were buried the crushed and mortal remains of 
Paup-Puk-Keewis and the manitou. 

It was only this time, when he was killed in 
human form that Paup-Puk-Keewis found that 
he really was dead. He had been killed in 
animal form many times, but now his body in 
human shape, was crushed. Manabozho came 
and took his Jee-bi. 

^^You shall not again be permitted to live on 
earth as a man," said Manabozho to him. ^^Yet 
because you have amused mankind and have 
destroyed evil manitous that pestered men, I 
will not utterly annihilate you. Henceforth, you 
may live in the air as a war-eagle." 

And as such, the trickster and hero of the 
Red Men still lives. And because the tales of 
his ancient antics and heroisms still amuse them 
as they sit around the lodge fires, and because 
they remember that he once wore the skin of 
an eagle as a headdress, they have made for 
themselves war-bonnets from the feathers of the 
war-eagle who once was known as Paup-Puk- 
Keewis. 



67 



VI 



WATOGO, WHO SAVED HIS TRIBE 
FROM THE THUNDERBIR.D 

Before the time of airships, the only things 
that could fly in the air were birds and clouds; 
so you see, it was natural that the Red Men 
should believe the clouds were some huge kind 
of bird, and that the black storm-clouds were 
thunderbirds the flap of whose wings made the 
thunder. The zigzag lightning, darting swiftly 
across the sky, traveled like a snake, so they 
thought the lightning was a serpent. Some of 
the Red Men say that the lightning is the flash 
of the Thunderbird's eyes, and some say that it 
comes when he runs out his forked tongue. 

Before I tell you about Watogo, I want to 
tell you what some of the different tribes say 
about thunder and lightning. 

^^Ba-dawk, the Thunderer who makes the 
loud crash, lives in a high mountain with his 
sister and his father. He married a woman 

68 



WATOGO AND THE THUNDERBIRD 

who bore a son. The grandfather fastened 
wings to the little lad, and with them he makes 
the distant, rolling thunder which greatly 
pleases the old man." 

^'Once, during a flood, the Thunder-and- 
Lightning-Man parted from his sister telling 
her she never again would see him, but she 
would hear his voice. He clothed himself in 
the skin of a great bird and flew away to the 
southwest. .She has never seen him since, but 
whenever a tempest sweeps over the land, the 
lightning of his eyes gleams down upon her and 
the thunder of his voice reechoes among the 
mountain peaks." 

^^The Thunderbird eats serpents, snatching 
them up from the ground, setting fire to trees 
and killing people as he does so. He brings 
home for food the people he has killed by light- 
n?np-." 

The Chippewas of Wisconsin say, ^^The Thun- 
derbird is a god in the form of an eagle. It 
feeds on serpents and lives in a mountain where 
it lays eggs and hatches its young. An Indian 
once climbed to its nest and found the bones of 
serpents scattered about. Another time, a party 
of Indians found a Thunderbird's nest on the 
plain and killed the young birds. Then the old 

69 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

birds returned and killed all but one Indian." 

^Thunder Bay in Michigan was given that 
name because the Pot-ta-wat-to-mies found a 
nest of young Thunderbirds on a high peak on 
the shore of the bay." 

^^Near Big Stone Lake, in Dakota, there was 
a Thunderbird's nest and some of the eggs are 
still left there in the form of round stones. Long, 
rolling thunder is heard when the Thunderboys 
are playing ball." 

Thunderbird once alighted beside the 
Upper Red River and the grass was burned off 
in the form of a big bird with outstretched 
wings." 

"A hunter wounded a bird which he sup- 
posed was an eagle. It was so fierce that he was 
afraid to attack it alone, so he went for help. 
When the party drew near the spot they heard 
thunder rolling and saw flashes of lightning 
shooting out of the ravine where the wounded 
bird lay. The lightning blinded them so that 
they could not see the bird, and a flash killed 
the hunter. The frightened Indians fled back 
to camp, for they knew then that it was the 
Thunderbird." 

^^Long ago there were many giant eagles and 
Thunderbirds in the mountains along the Yukon 

70 



WATOGO AND THE THUNDERBIRD 

River, but they all disappeared except one pair, 
which made their home in the top of a mountain 
near Sabotnisky. From this peak they soared 
about in the sky like clouds, and swooped down, 
carrying off reindeer and even fishermen and 
their canoes, to the nests of their young." 

* * ^ * ^ ^ * 

Many thousand moons ago, two monsters lived 
in the caves of the Piasa Bluffs near Alton, 
Illinois. They had wings like an eagle's only 
much larger, and claws like an alligator's. Their 
eyes were red; they had beards like a tiger, 
horns like a deer, and faces like a man. They 
had tails like a serpent, and so long that they 
bent forward over their heads and around under 
their legs. The voice of one was like the roar 
of a buffalo bull, and of the other, like the 
scream of a panther. These dreadful creatures 
spent their time dozing on the rocks or flying 
over the country. They swooped down and car- 
ried off young elk and deer to their cave in the 
rocks where they devoured the prey at their 
leisure. 

But they never troubled the Indians until one 
day when the Miamis and the Mest-che-gam-is 
were fighting each other in the gorge of the 

71 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

Piasa Creek. Then, in the midst of the battle, 
just when the Mestchegamis were almost beaten 
and were about to run for their lives, these two 
monsters came flying down the gorge, uttering 
bellowings and shrieks like so many thunder- 
claps. They flew over the heads of the fighters 
and each monster picked up a Miami chieftain 
and carried him ofif. 

This terrified the Miamis so that they could 
no longer fight. They fled from the gorge, pur- 
sued by the whooping Mestchegamis, and dared 
not stop until they had crossed the Wabash 
River. 

The victorious Mestchegamis thought the 
Great Spirit had sent the monsters to aid them 
against their enemies and, to celebrate their 
triumph, they cut the figures of the two Thun- 
derbirds in the cliffs^where the battle had taken 
place. And the figures, — and two live eagles, 
were still there when Father Marquette went 
down the Mississippi in 1673. 

But the dreadful Thunderbirds did not 
leave the Miamis in peace even after helping 
to defeat them so badly. The monsters seem to 
have found out that they could carry off human 
beings, and after that, from time to time, they 
came down and seized other braves, squaws, and 

72 



THEY CAME FLYING DIRECTLY | ^ 
TOWARI>HIM.BlACK@>HORRIBLE | f//^ 



WATOGO AND THE THUNDERBIRD 

papooses. The women were all the time wail- 
ing over the loss of their babes, and the whole 
tribe lived in constant terror. 

Their trouble became so great that Watogo, 
the chieftain, said : 

"My people, we can no longer endure this. I 
have a scheme for ridding you of these dreadful 
Thunderbirds. When the next storm gathers, 
twenty of you who can pull the strongest bows, 
are to hide yourselves in the bushes. I wilLstand 
out in plain sight of the monsters and when they 
swoop down upon me you are to send your ar- 
rows into them." 

"No, no," they cried; "we cannot do that. 
We might hit you. We cannot kill our chief." 

"I w^ould gladly die to save my people. The 
birds will soon carry all of you off, and I do 
not wish to be a chief without a tribe. You are 
to do as I say." 

The warriors dared not disobey, but they mut- 
tered their disapproval. 

When the storm came, Watogo stood out in 
full view of the cliff, to tempt the birds; and 
presently they came flying directly toward him, 
black and horrible, eager to pounce upon their 
victim. When they came over his head and 
were ready to fall upon him, — twang! twang! 

73 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

twang! — and they were pierced to the heart by 
the arrows of the twenty concealed warriors. 

Then terrible were the shrieks and bellowings 
of the wounded Thunderbirds as they plunged 
and staggered onward in their dying agony. 
But the last of their moaning was drowned in 
the glad shouts of the Miamis, for there stood 
their brave chieftain, alive and unhurt. Not an 
arrow had touched him. 



74 



VII 



THE THUNDERBIRD OF PUGET 

SOUND 

Long ago a Thunderbird Man and his wife 
lived on the peak of a mountain near Puget 
Sound. They were birds most of the time, but 
they could become human beings by pushing up 
their beaks which then became the visors of 
their caps. When they pulled the visors down 
again, they became birds. Their voices were 
harsh and their eyes flashed fire even when they 
were man and woman. They made it thunder 
and lighten all the time, and the people in the 
valley were miserable. 

When a few years passed, they had two little 
boys who also could change from birds into 
boys by pushing up their beaks. When the boys 
were old enough to play on the mountainside, 
their mother became anxious about them for 
she was all the time afraid that when they were 
boys they might slip and fall down the rocks 

75 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

and be killed. Of course when they were little 
Thundetbirds, they could save themselves by 
spreading their wings, but if they fell when they 
were boys they might not have time to pull down 
their visors. 

^^Do let us go down into the valley to live," 
she kept saying to her husband. 'Tor the sake 
of the children, let us leave this place." 

'^Oh, the children are safe enough," thun- 
dered the man. 

But he was fond of his wife and boys, so when 
she kept begging he said: 

''Well, to please you, I will go. I can fly 
down several times carrying some of our goods 
in my beak, and w^hen I get them all down I 
will come back and fly down with you and our 
little. Thunderbirds." 

He carried the household goods down, piece 
by piece in his beak, and w^hen he had built a 
little hut beside a river in the valley, they all 
went down to live as people. But the other folk 
living around there did not like them. They 
couldn't speak without thundering, and when- 
ever they met any one, the flash of their eyes 
made the person start with fear. Pretty soon 
one of the bravest of the people came to the 
Thunderbird Man to complain. 

76 



THE THUNDERBIRD OF PUGET SOUND 

^What are you doing here?" he asked. ^^This 
is my land, and you must move away. You 
make so much noise and flash your fire so often 
that our people are afraid of you. Go away." 

^ Where shall I go?" asked the Thunderbird 
Man trying to speak softly. 

'^Go down where this river empties into the 
Inlet; that is a good wet place which ought to 
suit you." 

The Thunderbird Man and his family moved 
down to Puget Sound and lived there all by 
themselves for many years. No one ever came 
to see them, and if they traveled around and met 
any one, the person shrank away, dreading to 
pass them. 

The Thunderbird Man and his wife grew 
old, and the woman died. But none of the 
neighbors came to her funeral. When the Man 
was about to die he said to his sons : 

^Teople have never liked us. They have 
always feared us. You two would better go 
back to the mountain to live. And I think it 
would be better if you did not thunder and 
lighten except when one of the Thunderbird 
spirits of the Indians is dying." 

So the boys went back to the mountain; and 

77 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 



now when it rains around Puget Sound it very 
seldom thunders or lightens.^ 

* * * * ^ * * 

^That is the story as Klalis ( Whale-on-the-beach) told it to me. 
And he said, *'I myself have noticed that whenever it thunders and 
lightens in our country some one of that family dies." He cautioned 
me: "You must never look up when it is storming, for if you should 
see the Thunderbird, you would die." 

Nevertheless, he carved a wooden Thunderbird for me, and he 
told me that the Thunderbird looks like an eagle. 



78 



VIII 



PANIGWUN, WHO OUTMATCHED 
THE MAGICIAN 

Panigwun and his little brother had been 
left alone in their lodge at the edge of the forest. 
For some reason their parents never came back. 
The children ate all the food that was in the 
tent and then went into the woods picking 
berries and hunting for plants that would do for 
food. Wandering deeper and deeper into the 
forest, they lost all trace of their home and were 
completely bewildered. 

Panigwun was a brave lad and very fond of 
his brother, and he concealed his own fears so 
as to cheer his brother. Panigwun had a knife, 
and with it he whittled out a bow and arrows 
so that he might kill birds and rabbits for his 
brother and himself to eat. They wandered on 
and on, not knowing whither they were going, 
sleeping at night on beds of leaves. 

At last they found themselves on the border of 
a large lake, and lay down on the shore to take 

79 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

a long drink, for they were very thirsty. Then 
while Panigwun was gathering the hips of the 
wild roses on the bank and saving them for food, 
his little brother thoughtlessly picked up the 
bow and shot an arrow into the water. 

The elder boy was unwilling to lose an arrow 
which it had taken much time to make, so he 
waded into the water to get it. But just as he 
was about to grasp it, a canoe glided up to him 
with magic swiftness and the crooked old man 
in the canoe seized the lad and pulled him 
aboard. 

Panigwun was startled, but he thought first 
of his brother. 

^^My grandfather," he said, using the term of 
respect with which he had been taught to address 
elder strangers — ^^My grandfather, please take 
my little brother also. I cannot go alone with 
you ; he will starve." 

The old man was Mishosha, the evil magician 
of Lake Superior, but as yet the boy did not sus- 
pect it. Mishosha laughed, and giving his canoe 
a slap, he uttered the charm, Chemaun Pollj 
with which he made it glide through the water 
with amazing rapidity. 

In a few moments they reached an island 
which was the home of the magician and his 

80 



PANIGWUN, WHO OUTMATCHED THE MAGICIAN 



two crooked daughters. ^^Here, my daughter," 
he said to the older one, ^'I have brought this 
young man to be your husband." 

Panigwun thought he saw surprise in the eyes 
of the girl and he resolved to be on his guard. 
In the evening he heard the girls talking. 

^^I told 3;^ou," said the elder, ^^that he would 
not be satisfied with his last sacrifice. He has 
brought another victim under pretence of pro- 
viding me a husband. The poor youth will meet 
some horrible fate before another sun has set." 

Panigwun knew by this that the girls did not 
love their father, and he thought they might 
help him ; so he went to them and told them how 
he had been carried off and had been compelled 
to leave his little brother on the mainland alone. 

^Wait till our father is asleep," said they. 
^^Then take his canoe, give it a slap and say 
Chemaun Poll, and it will carry you swiftly to 
3^our brother. We will give you food to take to 
him, and you can build him a lodge and be back 
before our father awakens." 

He did exactly as they directed. The canoe 
obeyed the charm and carried him safely over. 

'^Here, brother, is food for you. I dare not 
take you back with me," he said. ^^You would 
not be safe there now. But I will come for you 

81 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

as soon as I have settled matters with the old 
magician." 

He returned to the enchanted island and to 
his place in the lodge, so that when the magician 
awoke he did not suspect what had been done. 

As soon as the sun arose, Mishosha said: 
^'Come, my son, I have a mind to gather gull's 
eggs. I know an island where there are quanti- 
ties of them, and I wish your aid in collecting 
them." 

The young man knew no reasonable excuse, 
so he went with the magician. When they reach- 
ed the island it w^as strevm with eggs and the 
ground was covered with immense numbers of 
the birds. 

^^Go, my son, and gather eggs while I remain 
to guard the canoe," said Mishosha. 

No sooner was Panigwun on shore than the 
old man pronounced the charm and sent his 
canoe homeward, calling to the gulls to devour 
the lad. The gulls came in clouds, darkening 
the air with their numbers. But Panigwun was 
a brave lad, and he was no whit dismayed. He 
seized the first bird that came near and cut ofif 
its head, skinning it and hanging the skin on his 
breast as a trophy. 

^'Thus will I treat every one of you that assails 

82 



PANIGWUN, WHO OUTMATCHED THE MAGICIAN 

me," he called to the others. ^^That old magician 
can do you neither good nor harm. Take me 
on your backs and carry me to his lodge, and I 
will be your friend." 

The gulls obeyed, and the daughters were 
surprised and glad to see the youth enter the 
lodge. Their father was surprised and angry, 
but he shrewdly concealed his feelings. He 
noticed the gull's skin, and was puzzled at the 
boy's power to save himself. 

^^I will entrap him to-morrow; his courage 
shall not save him," thought the evil fellow. 

Next day he took the lad to another island to 
get some young eagles. This time he left the 
canoe and led Panigwun far inland to the foot 
of a tall pine tree. 

^^Now, my son, climb this tree and bring down 
the birds." 

The young man obeyed and with great diffi- 
culty got near the nest. 

^'Now stretch up and be very tall," said the 
magician to the tree. 

The tree arose at his command. Then he ran 
to the canoe and left the boy to his fate. But 
the courageous youth drew his knife and cut off 
the head of the first eagle that attacked him. 

^Thus will I deal with all who come near," 

83 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

he shouted, and his voice was like a warwhoop. 
^^That cowardly old canoe-man is nothing but 
an old woman. I shall soon be more powerful 
than he. Take me back to his island." 

The eagles, who are themselves so fierce, ad- 
mired his bravery. They clustered thick about 
him making a cushion on which he sat down, 
and they carried him to the enchanted island 
so swiftly that they passed the old man in his 
canoe, lying down half asleep. 

When the magician again found the lad in 
the lodge it was with great difficulty that he 
suppressed his wrath and his amazement. He 
was beginning to feel a trifle afraid of the 
mysterious power which the youth seemed to 
possess. '^But I'll beat him yet" he thought. 

He took the young man to a far island on a 
hunting trip of several days, and at night when 
Panigwun was asleep the old man threw one of 
the boy's moccasins and a leggin into the fire, 
hoping to freeze him to death when they went 
out next day. 

When the lad was dressing, he suspected the 
old man's design. So he took a dead coal from 
the ashes and blackened his leg to the knee, 
silently praying to his good Manitou that the 
blacking might answer as a leggin, and that he 

84 



PANIGWUN, WHO OUTMATCHED THE MAGICIAN 

might be spared to rid the world of the wicked 
Mishosha. 

To the vexation of the magician, the young 
man did not mind the cold, so this day for the 
first time they returned to the enchanted island 
together. 

Taking courage from this much success, 
Panigwun decided to try what he could do by 
his own magic. So he said to the old man: 
^^My grandfather, I have gone with you on 
perilous trips. Now all I ask of you is to go with 
me to where we left my brother. I want to 
bring him home with me." 

They went, and found the lad where he had 
been left. The two boys got into the canoe, and 
Panigwun said : ^^My grandfather, I want some 
of the red willov^^s on the bank for a smoking 
mixture." 

The old man began cutting and Panigwun 
slapped the canoe and said Chemaun Poll 
and the canoe swiftly glided from the shore and 
carried them to the enchanted island where the 
two girls welcomed them. 

^Watch all night and keep your hand on the 
canoe," they said, ^'or our father will have 
power to make it slip across to him." 

Panigwun watched through the long hours 

85 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

of the night, but toward morning he became 
drowsy, and when he awakened the canoe had 
slipped away to its owner and was already bring- 
ing him home. 

^^Ha! my son/' cried the old man, "you 
thought you would play me a trick. It was very 
clever; but you see I am too wily for you," and 
he laughed in great glee. 

A short tim.e after this the youth again tried 
his powers. "My grandfather, I know of an 
island where there are elk and deer. Take me 
there so that I may kill some for food." 

"I will kill som^e too, I am fond of venison," 
said the old man. 

When they had made their camp on the island 
and the magician had fallen asleep, Panigwun 
threw one of his leggins and one of his moccasins 
into the fire. In the morning the magician, re- 
membering what Panigwun had done when 
served the same trick, blackened his leg v/ith 
charcoal. But he did not know that when Pani- 
gwun did it he was praying to his Manitou. 
The wicked magician had no Manitou and he 
did not pray to one now. 

So when they went hunting his leg became 
colder and colder. As the day wore on he be- 
camie benumbed and faltered at every step. They 

86 



PANIGWUN, WHO OUTMATCHED THE MAGICIAN 

went on and on, and finally came out on a part of 
the island where there were no trees, and only a 
long point of sand. 

Mishosha's feet sank into the sand and he 
could go no farther. His legs became stiff and 
refused to move. He found himself fixed to the 
spot. He could feel his toes spreading out into 
the sand like roots, but he kept swinging his 
arms and swaying his body to and fro. He 
stretched up, trying to pull himself out, but the 
numbness crept higher and higher. His arms 
turned to branches and his hair to leaves, and in 
a few moments he stood there, a tall, stiff syca- 
more tree. 

Panigwun had surpassed him in power, and 
springing into the canoe he was borne swiftly 
to the island where his brother and the daugh- 
ters awaited him. The girls rejoiced that they 
were free from the power of their cruel father 
and readily agreed to put on mortal shapes and 
become the wives of the two young men. All 
four passed immediately to the mainland, quit- 
ting forever the island where so many evil deeds 
had been enacted. 

But to this day. The Lone Sycamore of 
Lake Superior stands on the point where he was 
left by brave Panigwun, and as the Indians pass 

87 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

in their canoes, they say: "There stands 
Mishosha, leaning out over the water watching 
for the canoe which will never again come at 
his summons." 



88 



IX 



SHAWANO, WHO KILLED THE 
UKTENA 

Long ago in the passes of the Smoky Moun- 
tains there lived a monstrous serpent as large 
around as a tree trunk, with scales glittering 
like sparks of fire, with horns on its head, and 
a bright, blazing crest, like a diamond, on its 
forehead. It had rings of color along the whole 
length of its body, but it could be wounded only 
by shooting in the seventh ring back of its head, 
because under that spot was its heart or life. 

None of the men dared go into the mountains 
to hunt, for to look upon this Uktena serpent 
even when it was asleep brought death to the 
whole family of the one who had come upon it. 
Yet if one could once get possession of the dia- 
mond in the serpent's head he would be sure of 
success in hunting, in love, or war, and could 
foretell the future and know whether the war- 
rior would return from battle, whether the sick 

89 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

person would recover, or the youth have a long 
life ; for the future was mirrored in the crystal 
as clearly as a tree is reflected in a quiet lake. 

The possession of this crystal would make its 
owner the greatest of wonder-workers; and 
many a young man longed to secure it for the 
power it would give him over his fellows. Again 
and again one of the bravest of the men had 
gone out to kill the serpent, but not one ever 
came back. The tribe had lost so many young 
men in this way that the council said, ^^Let no 
one ever again attempt to destroy the monster," 
and they had given up in despair, and lived in 
constant dread. 

But now it happened that in a battle with a 
neighboring tribe they had captured Shawano, 
the ^^medicine" chief of the foe. They intended 
to burn him at the stake, and had him tied ready 
to light the fire when he said : 

^^I have heard that you live in fear of a great 
serpent. If you will spare my life, I will kill 
the Uktena and get for you the wonder-working 
star that is in his f orehead.'^ 

They knew he was a medicine man who could 
do marvelous things, but they did not believe 
he could do that. 

"We will give you your life on condition that 

90 




SHAWANO, WHO KILLED THE UKTENA 



you kill the Uktena," they said to him; and to 
each other they said, ^We may as well let the 
snake kill him as for us to do it; but we will 
follow near enough to shoot him if he attempts 
to run away." 

As soon as he was released the magician went 
to the northern boundary of the land held by 
the tribe and began his search. He found a 
monster black-snake, larger than any ever seen 
before, but he just laughed and said : 

*^You are too small for notice; you are not 
what I am looking for.'' 

He went southward to the next gap and found 
there a great poisonous moccasin snake, but he 
said, ^^You are nothing." 

In the next gap he found a green snake, and 
called to the people, ^^Come and see this pretty 
green snake." 

They came, but when they found it was an 
immense serpent coiled up in the path, they ran 
away in fear. 

Coming to Bald Mountain, he found a huge 
lizard basking in the sun. It was terrible to 
look at, but he said to it, ^'You are not what 
I want. I will pay no attention to you." 

At the next gap he found a great creature 
squatting in the path and called to those who 

91 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

were following him. When they came and 
looked upon the monster they were frightened 
and ran back. 

^^Ho! Ho!" said he, ^^How brave you are to 
run from a frog." 

He thought the Uktena might be hiding in 
the deep waters of Leech Place. Now all the 
people were afraid to go near this place for in 
the center of it lived a leech as large as a house, 
with red and white stripes down its back, and 
it could make the water foam and boil, and 
come down in a great water-spout which washed 
them under. But Shawano had no fear. He 
sang: 

^^I tie red leech skins on my legs for garters." 

He went there and dived deep down. He 
saw turtles and water snakes, and strange things 
never seen before, and two immense sun-fishes 
darted at him and retreated, but he found no 
Uktena. 

Other places he tried, alv/ays going south- 
ward, and in the last mountain he came upon 
the Uktena asleep. Turning without noise, he 
ran down the mountain nearly to the bottom of 
the slope. There he stopped and piled up a 
wide circle of pine cones inside of which he dug 

92 



SHAWANO, WHO KILLED THE UKTENA 

a deep trench. Then he set fire to the cones and 
came back up the mountain. 

The Uktena was still asleep. He put an arrow 
to his bow and sent it straight into the seventh 
circle from the head and into the serpent's heart* 
The great serpent raised its head with the dia- 
mond in front flashing fire, and came swiftly 
at the magician ; but he turned quickly and ran 
at full speed down the mountain, sprang over 
the blazing cones atid the trench at a single 
bound, and lay down safe on the ground inside. 

The Uktena tried to follow, but the arrow 
was through its heart and it rolled over in its 
death struggle, spitting poison all over the 
mountain side. But the poison drops could not 
pass the circle of fire, and only hissed and sput- 
tered in the blaze, and the magician inside was 
not touched except by one small drop which 
struck upon his head as he lay close to the 
ground. But he did not know it. The blood, 
too, was as poisonous as the froth, and it poured 
from the Uktena's wound and ran down the 
slope in a dark stream, running into the trench 
where it made a lake in which, years later, the 
women of the tribe dyed the cane splits for their 
baskets. 

The dying monster rolled over and over down 

93 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

the mountain, breaking down large trees in its 
path, till it reached the bottom, dead. 

Shawano called all the vultures of the moun- 
tain to come and feast on the carcass, and when 
they were done not even the bones were left. 
Seven days later Shawano went at night to the 
spot and saw a bright light shining in the dark- 
ness, and found the Uktena diamond hanging on 
a branch where a raven had dropped it. He 
wrapped it up carefully and took it with him; 
and when he came again to the village, the peo- 
ple noticed a small snake hanging from his fore- 
head where the drop of poison from the Uktena 
had struck him. But so long as he lived, he 
himself never knew it was there. 

He wrapped the diamond in a whole deerskin 
and put it in an earthen jar which he hid in a 
cave in the mountains. Every seven days he 
fed it with the blood of some small animal and 
twice a year he gave it the blood of a deer or 
large animal. Once, when he forgot to do this, 
it came out of the cave in the form of fire and 
flew through the air till it came to one of the 
people and slaked its thirst in his lif eblood. 

After that, he changed the place where he 
kept it every little while so that it would not 
learn the way out. Whenever the tribe thought 

94 



SHAWANO, WHO KILLED THE UKTENA 

of going on the warpath, or a woman was sick, 
or a youth wished to marry, they came to him 
and he went in secret to consult the wonderful 
diamond. Thus the former captive came to be 
the great medicine-man of the tribe and had 
more power than even the chief. 

When Shawano became old and knew that 
he was about to die, he had the people dig his 
grave beforehand, and he put into it the earthen 
jar with the diamond, for he said: ^'It knows 
me as its master, and if it is not buried with me 
it will come out of the cave as a blazing star 
every night for seven long years and fly about 
hunting for my grave.'' 



X 



WEASEL GIRL, THE WAR MAIDEN 

Weasel Girl was only fifteen when her 
father and mother died, but she would not let 
the children go to live with their relatives. 

*'I will take care of you," she said. ^^You boys 
are old enough to hunt, and we girls will dress 
the meat and tan the skins for clothing and 
bedding." 

She took such good care of the lodge and of 
her younger brothers and sisters that several of 
the richest braves wished to marry her. But 
she said ^^No" to so many of them that at last 
they understood that she did not wish to marry. 
She would listen by the hour when they talked 
of war, but she did not care for their love talk. 

Whenever there was a w^ar-dance she was sure 
to be there, looking on. When she was twenty 
years old a party of warriors started over the 
mountains at dusk to raid the Flatheads, and 
when daylight came whom should they see with 
them but Weasel Girl. 

96 



WEASEL GIRL 

"Go back! Go home!'^ they said to her, but 
she would not listen. 

"If we have to fight, I can fight as well as 
any of you," she declared. 

They came near the Flathead camp and hid 
themselves until night. When the camp was 
asleep, Weasel Girl said, "Let me go ahead. 
I feel that I shall be successful in there." 

She would not be held back, but went cau- 
tiously in where the fastest horses, the buffalo 
runners, were picketed close to the tents of their 
owners. She cut the ropes of three of the best 
and led them out where her party was wait- 
ing. She tied them, and going in again with 
the warriors, got three more. The braves 
brought out many fine pinto ponies and all went 
safely over the mountains home w^ith them. 

They set up a medicine lodge, and when each 
brave was telling what he had done and how 
many horses he had taken, they sent for Weasel 
Girl and had her tell before all the people how 
she had twice gone into the enemy's camp and 
had taken six horses. Her story was greeted 
with applause, and the people cried out: 

"She deserves a man's name. She shall be 
called Pi-ta-mak-an, after the great chief whose 
spirit has gone to the Sand Hills." 

97 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

After that Pi-ta-mak-an did not have to sneak 
along when a war-party went out. They asked 
her to go. When she went with them she wore 
a man's dress, but at home she wore her woman's 
dress.^ 

More than ever the braves wished to marry 
her. Her fame spread to other tribes, and when 
she was going on the sixth raid, the chief of the 
Blood Indians and some of his warriors joined 
the party, and as he rode beside her the Blood 
chief said: 

"I have never loved, but now I love you. Let 
us marry." 

^^I will not say ^yes' to that, nor will I say 
'no.' I will give you my answer after we make 
this raid," she replied. 

The Blood chief chuckled to himself, for he 
felt sure she would consent to become his wo- 
man and he could boast over all her other suit- 
ors. But she had a scheme for getting out of it 
without saying no to the great chief. 

That very night they came to the Flathead 
camp and she and the Blood chief kept their 
men back till they could go in first. She told 

^This is the custom among the Red Men. We know one in 
Laguna who wears man^s clothing in the daytime and calls himself 
Richard Coulter, but in the evening he likes to m.ake pottery and 
drawn-work, so he puts on dresses and calls himself Lily May. 

98 



WEASEL GIRL 

him to go in, and he returned with one horse. 

"It is now my turn," said she, and she brought 
out two horses. 

The Blood chief went in and brought out two 
horses. 

She went in and brought out four horses. 

He went in and brought out two horses. 

She went inr and brought out one horse. 

"Our people are becoming impatient," said 
she. "We will each go in once more and then 
let them do what they can." 

The Blood chief went in for the fourth and 
last time and brought out four horses, making 
nine in all. 

Then Pitamakan went in, cut the ropes of 
eight horses and led them safely out, making 
fifteen she had taken. 

The warriors then went in several times, and, 
with all the horses they could drive, the double 
party headed for home. 

As they were riding homeward next day the 
Blood chief said to Pitamakan, "I love you so 
much that I can wait no longer for my answer. 
Tell me now that you will be my woman." 

"I gave you your chance," said Pitamakan. 
"It would have been yes if you had taken more 

99 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

horses than I ; but you were afraid of awakening 
the foe, therefore, I cannot marry you." 

Her people made her chief of the tribe and 
she led them in many battles, three times killing 
an enemy and taking his weapons. She lived 
to a good old age but never married and finally 
was killed in battle as every brave warrior 
wishes to be. 



100 



XI 



MA-KA-TAH, THE WAR MAIDEN 

Makatah was the only child of a Sioux 
chief. Her three brothers had been killed in the 
wars with the Crows, and her father was always 
telling her of the brave deeds of his dead sons. 
She loved to hear these stories and resolved that 
she would never marry until she had visited the 
graves of her brothers in the land of the foe, 
and until she had proved to her father that, 
though only a maid, she had the courage of a 
warrior. 

Although she was the prettiest and most mod- 
est maiden of the tribe, she loved to hear of war. 
She had many suitors, and among the most ar- 
dent of them v/as Red Horn. But she did not 
wish to marry; and each birthday she celebrated 
her maiden feast at which each maiden wore a 
white doeskin robe handsomely fringed and 
embroidered. 

One time she heard that the Cut-Head band 
of the Sioux were to make an attack on the 

101 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

Crows. She at once inquired if any of her cou- 
sins were to join the war party. 

^'Three of us will go/' they replied. 

^'I beg that you will let me go with you," said 
Makatah. ^^I have a good horse, and will not 
hinder you in the battle." 

'^If our uncle, your father, consents, you may 
go with us," they said. 

She went to her father. ^Tather," said she, 
"you have had three brave sons. I am of the 
same blood as they, and want to join the war 
party." 

He sat silent for a long time. At last, with 
tears in his eyes, he spoke. 

^^Daughter, I am an old man! My heart is 
in my throat, for you are all I have. My three 
sons on whom I placed my hopes, lie in the far 
country of our enemies. You are the only child 
left to my old age. You, too, are brave; as 
brave as any of your brothers. If you go, I 
fear that you may not return to me; yet — I — 
cannot refuse my permission." 

There was much excitement in the camp 
when the young warriors learned that the daugh- 
ter of their chief was to go, and many young 
braves joined the w^ar party. They found the 
Crows — thousands of them — where the Red 

102 



MA-KA-TAH 

Water flows into the Missouri River. That eve- 
ning each v^arrior sang his war song and told 
what he hoped to do on the morrow. Red Horn 
was the loudest of the boasters, for he was a vain 
youth. Little Eagle remained silent for he had 
not much experience in warfare. In the midst 
of the talk they said : ^^Hush ! There comes the 
War Maiden!" 

All eyes were turned upon Makatah who rode 
a fine buckskin pony and was dressed in her 
most beautiful garments, with her father's war- 
bonnet on her head, — the first time a maiden had 
ever worn such headdress. She was so charm- 
ing that they readily agreed to let her lead the 
charge next morning. ^^But only until we come 
close to the foe. Then you must fall back,^' 
said they. 

But when the long howl of a gray wolf was 
heard^ — the howl v/hich had been agreed upon 
as the signal for attack — the War Maiden 
dashed ahead on her splendid buckskin and left 
the others behind. She had no thought of turn- 
ing back just where real danger began, as the 
others had said she was to do. She went into 
the battle in the foremost ranks ; and though the 
fight was a long and hard one she fought side by 
side with her people. When the warriors called 

103 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

to he-, ^'Go back! Go back! The danger is 
grca- We are outmatched!" she gave no heed. 

Hiyir after hour they fought with despera- 
tion, ])Ut in the afternoon they were driven back 
and hc3tly pursued. Then at last, she turned to 
retreat. But her pony was tired and she fell 
behind. Many of her lovers passed her without 
a word, bent only on saving themselves from 
f^llL g into the hands of the foe. A few re- 
maiij/d behind fighting bravely to cover the 
retreat. The boastful Red Horn had done little 
fighting and his pony was still fresh. He might 
have taken her up behind him and carried her 
to safety; but he did not even look at her as he 
galloped by. 

Presently modest Little Eagle came up to her. 
^^Take my pony," he said. ^^I shall remain here 
to fight," 

^^No. No. I cannot do that," she cried. But 
he already had sprung from his horse and was 
lifting her upon it, and he gave it a sharp blow 
which sent it at full speed in the direction of 
the retreating Sioux. 

Little Eagle went back with her pony to the 
handful of brave defenders, and his rallying 
cry and the sight of the War Maiden's pony put 
new heart into the warriors who rushed at the 

104 



MA-KA-TAH 

foe with such fury that the Crows fell back in 
surprise, and were, in their turn, forced to re- 
treat. Seeing this, the Sioux who had been run- 
ning away, returned to the fray and by sunset 
the Crows were driven far up the Yellowstone 
River. But many of the victorious Sioux had 
fallen, and among them was brave Little Eagle. 

When the Sioux gathered around their camp- 
fire to sing dirges for their slain, the voice of a 
woman joined in the lamentation. It was 
Makatah, stripped of all her ornaments, her 
beautiful hair cut close to her neck, leading her 
pony with tail and mane cropped short. She 
was mourning as Indian women mourn. 

^^It was brave Little Eagle who saved the 
honor of my people and saved my life at the 
cost of his own," said she. '^He was the truest 
of men. Although I have never been his wife, 
I now declare that I am his widow." 

Makatah, the War Maiden, lived to be a very 
old woman, but she never married, and was al- 
ways known as the widow of brave Little Eagle. 



105 



XII 



COYOTE, THE TRICKSTER, TRIES TO 
BECOME A CREATOR 

One time Old Coyote said to himself, ^^It is 
time I should quit playing tricks, and fooling, 
and being fooled; time I went into serious busi- 
ness.'' 

He was living in California at that time, and 
one day he went out to dig red earth to mix 
with his acorn flour for bread. As he was dig- 
ging, he heard women's voices singing: 

"O wi, no a', O wi, no i', 
O wi, no a', O wi, no i'.'' 

He looked around everywhere, but could see 
no one. Whenever he looked, the singing 
stopped; whenever he went back to his digging 
it began again. He was charmed by it. 

Next day it was the same. But whenever he 
tried to follow the singing it seemed farther 
away. It really was not farther away. The 
song came from the two daughters of Kele, the 

106 



COYOTE TRIES TO BECOME A CREATOR 

Mountain Wolf Man, who were sitting on the 
mountain watching Coyote, fooling him, mak- 
ing their voices sound farther away to tease him. 

He could stand it no longer. He followed 
the song, now hearing it, now losing it. At last 
he reached the mountain and went around and 
around it, led by the song; for the girls kept on 
fooling him. Now the sound seemed to come 
from down in the mountain. 

And that was just where it did come from; 
for the mountain was Kele's house. 

^'If any one is walking on my roof, let him 
come down and come in at the west door," called 
Kele. 

So Coyote went down, found the west door, 
went in, and saw Kele and his two daughters. 
He stayed with them and at night Kele's twenty 
sons came home. Coyote thought it was fine to 
have a house and so many children. He stayed 
with Kele for several weeks; then he began to 
say: 

^'I want a house and children of my own." 

He kept saying this so often that finally Kele 
went off by himself to a little distance and 
wished: ^^Let there be a mountain here," and 
a mountain stood before him. Then he went 
back and brought Coyote. 

107 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

^^This is your house," said he. ^^You may live 
here as long as you like." 

Coyote stayed in the new mountain and was 
well pleased for a time. But there was no one 
to live with him and he liked to talk so well that 
he wanted some one to listen. After a while he 
went to Kele and said : 

^'Brother, I came to tell you that I am lone- 
some. Where did you find your sons and 
daughters?" 

'^You have no need to know. I will not tell 
you," replied Kele. 

^^I want some sons," urged Coyote. 

^^I don't believe you could keep house and 
manage sons," said Kele. ^^I don't believe you 
have strength for it. These things are hard to 
do." 

^^But I want to try," insisted Coyote. 

To get rid of him, Kele pretended to tell him 
what to do. And Coyote went off and did just 
what Kele had told him. He cut five sticks 
from the mountain ash trees, smoothed and pol- 
ished them, and split them in two lengthwise. 
Then he cut five more which he left rough, and 
split them. All of the twenty sticks he took 
home and put under the rafters of his house. 

108 



COYOTE TRIES TO BECOME A CREATOR 

At night he made up a big fire and lay down 
with his back to it. 

But he couldn't sleep. He lay awake think- 
ing of the sons he was to have and, by and by, he 
peeked up to see if the sticks were getting legs 
and arms. The moment he looked all the sticks 
fell to the earth floor. He put them up and lay 
down again, but he was so excited that he 
couldn't help looking again, and again the sticks 
fell to the ground. He kept putting them up 
till daylight, when he had to stop. 

That day he went to see the Mountain Wolf 
Man. 

^^My sticks were falling all night," said he. 

'Why not do as I told you?" asked Kele. "I 
told you not to look up." 

''I will not look again," said Coyote. 

That night he lay by the fire keeping his eyes 
tight shut, listening, listening. Now you will 
not believe it, but toward daylight he heard a 
sound as if a barefooted person had jumped 
from above to the floor. He kept his eyes shut 
and the person touched him and went away and 
sat down. Presently, another sprang down, 
touched him, and sat down. This happened 
again until all the ten smooth ones were down. 
Old Coyote was so delighted he could scarcely 

109 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

control himself, but he lay still till, one after 
another, the ten rough sons had jumped down, 
hit him, and seated themselves. Then he arose 
almost bursting with pride as he looked upon 
his tw^enty fine children. 

^^Go, my sons, bathe in the stream, then come 
in to breakfast," said he. 

When they had eaten they were eager to go 
hunting, and from that time there was always 
plenty to eat in the house and Coyote was very 
happy. 

Coyote lived on in this way until it came 
spring. Then his boys began to look queer. Lit- 
tle sharp green points like sprouting leaves 
grew out on their hands and ears. And every 
night when the others came home one of them 
would be missing. Old Coyote w^ould ask what 
had become of him and the rest would say, 
'^He stayed out on the mountain." 

Every morning they would all go ofif together, 
but one after another would fail to return, till 
all the ten rough sons had disappeared. And 
all that Coyote could ever learn from those who 
came back was that the lost one ^^had stayed on 
the mountain side," or, once or twice they said, 
^^He stood so long with his feet in the soil that 
he took root." 

110 



COYOTE TRIES TO BECOME A CREATOR 

When the ten rough ones were gone, the 
smooth ones began to disappear. Coyote was 
in great distress. He now had but five children 
and could stand it no longer. Next day, while 
the five were abroad, he went out alone to see 
if he could learn what had become of his miss- 
ing family. But he could find no trace of them. 

He noticed more mountain-ash trees near his 
home than he ever before had seen there, and 
once or twice he was startled by thinking a tree 
spoke to him as he passed. This made him feel 
queer, as if he were hoodooed. He kept on with 
his search, but not one of his missing sons could 
he find. 

He went back home and waited. That night 
two more of the smooth ones failed to return; 
and the next night two more. Poor Old Coyote! 
He determined not to let his one last son escape 
him. He meant to arise early, go out with the 
boy, and keep close to his side. But when he 
awoke in the morning, the lad already was gone. 
Nor could the father find trace of him anywhere 
in the forest. But again he noted the unusual 
number of ash trees and again he fancied that 
some of them spoke to him. 

This was too much! The place must be 
haunted! He rushed back home, gathered up 

111 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

an armful of his goods, and left the country. 
And as he hastened down the mountain side, he 
thought that the ash trees, as he passed, said, 
^^Good-by,'' ^^Good-by," ^^Good-by." 

***** ^ ^ 

Old Coyote left the land of the mysterious 
ash trees far behind him and traveled on till he 
came to the Thompson River in British Amer- 
ica. There he built a teepee and lived a long 
time alone, without wife or child. He was very 
lonely, and a kind of craze for making people 
had come over him. Yet, remembering the fate 
of the boys made from ash sticks he did not try 
that kind again. He took a lump of clay and 
fashioned it into a boy to whom he said : 

"Train for a brave, but keep away from the 
water." 

But the weather was hot and ere long the lad 
wished to bathe. He had gone far from his 
father's house and had come to a clear, rippling 
river. He stood on the shore for a few minutes 
recalling what his father had told him ; but the 
waves looked so cool and tempting that at last 
he dashed in. 

In a minute his feet and legs felt strange, and 
when he tried to lift one leg he could scarcely 
do so; the foot was dissolving and dripping 

112 



COYOTE TRIES TO BECOME A CREATOR 

down as mud. He tried to set it down and lift 
the other foot; but he could no longer move, 
and there he had to stand, sinking into the water 
until he was dissolved into a little heap of mud 
at the bottom of the river. 

Coyote soon missed the boy and went in search 
of him. A great fear fell upon him as he came 
to the river. He followed along the bank till 
he came to the tracks in the sand and knew 
what had happened. He stood there looking 
sadly at the litttle heap of mud in the water. 

Now it happened that some Salish Indians 
had their camp not far from where Coyote lived, 
and as he stood there looking into the river, 
some of them came w^here he was. He pointed 
to the little heap of mud and told them it was 
his lost boy and that he was very sad. They 
could scarcely keep from grinning, but they 
liked Coyote, so they grunted their sympathy. 

A few days later, Coyote took gum off the 
trees and made another hoy. ^^Bathe all you 
like, but stay in shady places," said he. 

This was a funny little chap, bright and shin- 
ing, but with a knotted or mottled appearance, 
for he was transparent in spots. He marched 
up and down in the shadow of the forest, play- 
ing he was an Indian scout. 

113 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

But before long he grew tired of bathing and 
staying in the shade all the time. He looked out 
from the shadows at the bright patches of sun- 
light and he longed to bask in the sun. He saw 
a large flat rock facing the sun v^^hich seemed 
to be inviting him. Thither he went, lay down 
on it, stretched out his sleek little lim.bs, and 
thought he would take a nap. He had not slept 
long before he began to melt in the heat, and 
there was nothing left of him but a patch of 
pitch on the surface of the rock. 

Then Coyote said, ^^I must have a more en- 
during son that either of these." He took a 
piece of quartz rock and threw it against the 
clifif several times and it did not break, so he 
was pleased with it. 

^^This is the stuff. Now Fll make a boy with 
sinews of iron,'' said he. 

It was very hard to work the quartz. It had 
to be chipped into shape and polished with 
sandstone, and it was two months before Coyote 
got anything to suit him. While he was v/ork- 
ing the Indians would come to watch him and 
would say, ^Coyote, you are a wonderful man! 
No one else would attempt to do what you. ar^ 
doing!" Yet, in spite of their effort to ,be 
friendly Coyote was shrewd enough to know 

114 



COYOTE TRIES TO BECOME A CREATOR 

that they were grinning at what they consid- 
ered his folly. 

But when it was finished Coyote was highly 
pleased with his boy. ^^This is the kind of a son 
to have; white, and handsome, and hard as a 
rock," said he. 

But alas! for poor Coyote and his hard work! 
The lad's disposition was as hard as his body. 
He was stubborn beyond belief. He wouldn't 
do a thing Coyote told him to do ; wouldn't hunt, 
wouldn't fish, wouldn't do a single thing but 
lean against the cliff and ^stare straight into 
Coyote's face in a bold and disrespectful man- 
ner. 

Coyote was angry; very angry; and he was 
humiliated at thought of how the Indians might 
laugh. 

^^I'll give this Quartz Boy what is coming to 
him and I'll show those Redskins that I am a 
magician even if I can't manage this boy," said 
he. 

He took Quartz Boy in his arms and lugged 
him up the cliff. It was all he could do for 
the burden was a heavy one. He set the image 
ih the top of a tree which grew close to the 
cliff, and then he went down and stood near the 
tree, opening and shutting his eyes. Every time 

115 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

he raised his eyelids the tree shot upward, grow- 
ing by leaps and bounds into a very tall tree. 
It shot up till it reached the sky and went 
through the sky-hole. Quartz Boy was gone 
now, the stubborn fellow, and the Indians were 
awed into silence. 

Without a word, or even a glance toward the 
Redskins, Old Coyote went into his teepee and 

began to cook his dinner. 

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ 

That afternon. Coyote slipped away to the 
river, untied his canoe, lay down in the bottom 
and floated down to the Pacific Ocean and along 
the coast till he came near the mouth of the 
Columbia River, where he went ashore. 

There weren't any people living there then, 
and presently Coyote said: ^^All this fine land 
and lovely scenery is going to waste. I'll make 
some people to walk around in it and enjoy it." 

So he made a man and a woman and stood 
them up against a rock. And they were the 
funniest things you ever did see! They were all 
rough and full of knots; their eyelids v/ere all 
in one piece and wouldn't open. They had teeth, 
but there was no slit for their mouths, so they 
couldn't eat. Their arms and legs were per- 
fectly stiff; wouldn't bend. They stood there 

116 



COYOTE TRIES TO BECOME A CREATOR 

just like stone people, only they were warm and 
alive. You could see their eyeballs rolling in- 
side their eyes, but they couldn't see. 

Coyote thought they were fine. He walked 
around them; squinted at them from this side; 
walked more; squinted from that side; and then 
chuckled to himself, ^^I call that something 
pretty handsome." 

He went up and smoothed the knobs on the 
man a little more, stood off and admired him 
again; and said: 

^^There! Now you'll do. Now go down to 
Shoalwater Bay and catch fish to eat." 

The man didn't stir. Then he said to the 
woman : 

"Maybe if you take the lead it v/ill encour- 
age him. You go and gather brush for a fire 
to cook the fish ; maybe he'll go then." 

The woman didn't stir. Coyote was surprised 
and half indignant. 

"Didn't I make you?" he asked them both. 
"Don't you belong to me? Why don't you 
mind? Walkr 

Their eyes rolled harder than ever but neither 
of them stirred. Coyote looked at them. They 
didn't appear stubborn like Quartz Boy. He 
stepped back a little way, looked at them, and 

117 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

thought, "Maybe they don't know how"; so 
he showed them. 

"See! Do this way. Put one foot ahead of 
the other." . . . They didn't stir. 

He went down to the shore, caught a fish, 
brought it, and held it up to the man. 

"I thought you might be weak because you 
hadn't eaten anything yet," he said. "Eat this 
and you will feel stronger." 

The man didn't move. He offered it to the 
woman. She didn't take it. 

He put the fish down in despair. He went 
up to them, felt of them all over, and tried to 
lift their arms. Now he saw what was the mat- 
ter. He went away and sat down; looked at 
them and thought ; looked at them and thought. 

As he was puzzling over what to do, a strange 
chief, clothed in garments that shone like pol- 
ished abalone shells, approached. 

"What is it that troubles you?" asked the great 
one. 

Coyote told him his troubles. "I have tried 
many ways, and I have worked hard," he said, 
pathetically, "but every time I have failed." 

The great man smiled. "You have done your 
best," said he, kindly. "But I am the only one 

118 



Be 



COYOTE TRIES TO BECOME A CREATOR 

who can make real people. I am I-ka-nam, who 
made the world." 

Old Coyote gasped. "I knew you must be a 
mighty chief/' said he. ^^You must be the one 
whom the Red Men call the Great Spirit. I 
can do a little by magic, but you can do all 
things. You must know how to fix these people 
I made. Please look at them." 

Ikanam came and looked them all over, and 
then he said : ''Why, how could they eat? They 
can't get their mouths open." 

He picked up a flat stone with a sharp edge, 
and cut large slits for their mouths ; then he cut 
smaller slits for their eyes, cutting carefully so 
as not to spoil the sight. Next, he put motion 
into them. 

As soon as he had done this, their eyelids 
opened, their lips parted in smiles, and they 
held out their hands for the fish. When Coyote 
said again, 'Walk," they moved ofif, — rather 
stiffly at first, but more gracefully after they 
had practiced a little. 

But they were strangers in the land, and they 
gazed about in wonder, not knowing what they 
were to do. So Coyote showed them how to 
make fish nets, how to kindle a fire, and cook 
food, how to make canoes, weapons, and utensils. 

119 



A TREASURY OF INDIAN TALES 

They were eager to learn, and thought him a 
wonderful being because he knew how to do 
all this. And they and their children and 
grandchildren, and all the Chinook tribe from 
that time on thought him the greatest man that 
ever lived; and they put an image of him on 
everything they make. If a woman is making a 
wooden spoon, she cuts into it the image of 
Coyote, and if a man is making a boat, he carves 
a figure-head of Old Coyote, the Wonder- 
worker, to put on the bow of his vessel. 

For now Old Coyote is with them no more. 
Some of the Indians say that one day Napi, the 
Old Man, met him and thanked him for all he 
had done on earth, and then sent him far away 
to the north to live in a crystal palace made of 
huge blocks of ice. In that he is to stay till 
Napi comes back to earth as he promised to do. 
Then Napi will send for Coyote and they will 
work together, making the earth more beautiful 
than it ever yet has been. 



THE END 



120 



